Brothers in Arms
by Mojenica
Summary: After 20 years, Ardeth's brother comes back in his life. Now he must help his brother escape Egypt, leaving his family behind during what turns out to be a horrible time for his wife. The second of my Emily/Ardeth stories.
1. Tarek Bay & a baby

Disclaimer: Right...like the rest of you fanfic writers out there, I don't own all the characters from The Mummy movies, sadly. But if given the chance, I would buy them. Mainly the men. *Giggles* So...yeah. I don't own the Mummy characters, but I do own the rest of them. Emily, Ahmad, Tom, Meelesh, Tarek, Carol, Etc. So...if ya want to use them, for whatever reason, drop me a line. K?  
  
Note: The second of the four Ardeth/Emily stories I got swimming around in me head. I don't really know how you will take to this one, I hope you all like it. I am REALLY evil to Emily in this one. Why? You might ask yourself. I don't know. Felt like the right thing to do. Ya know?   
Damietta is a real town in Egypt. Found it from a map of Egypt. Dont know anything else about it, but it looked like a port town.  
~*~I really could not have done this with out the help of Angie. Thanks soo much doll. You really are my saving grace. This story really should have you as the co-author, but you said that wasn't needed...but you really did co-write it. Thanks for the Idea, and for helping me write parts of the story.   
So, here is my second story.   
  
Dedicated to Michelle Newman, for no other reason except that she sent me two postcards from Europe. (So did you, Jess, but you got the Goat soup one, so be happy!) Michelle.... I hope to see you soon. I loved that postcard of the queen....classic.  
  
When you see this sign, ~~ It is the start of a flashback. This sign, ~~ means the end if it. Just so ya know. :)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Do you have any siblings?"  
"My only brother was killed…15 years ago..."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"The warriors! They are returning!"  
  
The voice fell over the Med-jai City, followed by the joyful yell of the happy townsfolk. Their husbands, sons, fathers, and leader were coming back from a 4-day battle.   
  
No one was happier to hear the message then Emily Bay, wife of Ardeth Bay, mother of Tomas Bay, queen of the Med-jai. She grabbed her four-year-old son and raced out the door of her home, running to the city front, along with all the other Med-jai of the city. Her heart burst with joy as she ran through her people excited to see her husband riding at the head of the group of 20 Med-jai warriors. It was fitting that he was always at the front when they returned from a battle, he was the King of the Med-jai.   
  
But as she raced to the front of the crowed, her bright smile disappeared. All of the 20 Med-jai warriors that had left for the battle had returned, all, except her beloved husband. Riding at the head of the group was Ahmad, Ardeth's second in command, and when he saw Emily, his bright smile also went away.   
  
He stopped his horse, and dismounted, he took a step towards Emily, but was intercepted by his own wife, Ardeth's sister, Meelesh. She wrapped her arms around Ahmad's neck, holding him tightly; he wrapped his arms around her, but couldn't take his eyes off of Emily. When the hug broke, he took another step towards Emily, who at this time had put her son down.   
  
"Emily…" He began softly, reaching out a hand to her.  
"Where is my husband?"  
"Please listen…"  
"WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!?" She yelled, everyone turning to look at her.   
"Please! Listen to me…Ardeth…something happened…something came up."  
"No…" Emily took another step back, little Tom stared up at his mother and his uncle, not understanding what was going on. But he could see the tears form in his mom's light, olive green eyes.   
  
"Mommy?" He said softly, reaching out to her. She took his hand, holding it tight.   
"Where's Ardeth? Where is my husband?"  
"I will explain it, Emily, please come with me to talk in privet." He took another step towards her, he reached out a hand to his nephew, "Tom, go with your Aunt, I have to talk with your mother."   
  
The little boy looked up at him with big eyes, and he clamped on to his mom's leg, holding on for dear life. Emily bent over and picked him up, never taking her eyes off of her brother-in-law.   
"He can be with us." She said.  
"No, he can not. Please…"   
  
Emily put her son down with a sigh, she hated things like this. "Tom, you go off with your Aunt Meelesh, I will be back in a little bit."  
He grabbed on to her leg, "No! I want to stay with you! Where's Daddy?" She carefully pulled him off and dropped to one knee.   
"That's where I am going, to find out, ok? So you be a good boy."  
"I want Daddy to come back…"  
"I do to, Doll, I do to."  
Meelesh came up and took her nephew by the hand, she also pulled her husband away.   
  
"Where is my brother?" She said in a whisper.  
"He is with Tarek." He said back, his deep brown eyes soft and sad. Meelesh let out a little gasp, understanding fully what he meant. Emily noticed this, and her heart filled with fear for her husband.   
Ahmad kissed his wife softly on the cheek, and walked to Emily, he took her arm and led her away. They walked side by side, both five foot eleven. Emily's tall slender figure more that of a fighter, not a queen. Her dark brown hair pulled back into a loose bun, a few wisps falling around her face. Ahmad was well built, like any other warrior, after years of fighting in the desert. His hair was dark and cut short. His eyes soft and deep brown.   
  
"Please…Ahmad…where is Ardeth?" She said, as they walked into Ahmad's home.   
"What has Ardeth ever told you about his brother?" He asked.   
"What do you mean?"  
"Has Ardeth ever mentioned that he had a brother?"  
"Um…yes, he has, but he told me his brother has been dead for quite some time."  
  
Ahmad didn't say anything for a minute, he just looked at his sister-in-law, finally, he said,  
"That is not entirely true."  
"Are you saying that Ardeth lied to me?"  
"He has lied to everyone about his brother. You see, Emily, Ardeth was not the oldest child in the Bay family. In fact, he was the middle child. His brother, Tarek, was the oldest and rightful heir to the kingship of the Med-jai."  
  
"But…he died so Ardeth had to take over?"  
"No. He was disowned by his family and the Med-jai, so Ardeth had to take over."  
A small gasp escaped Emily, and she searched her brother-in-law's eyes, trying to see some hint that he was joking with her, but he was not.   
  
"Disowned? Why? Whatever for?"  
"Tarek…Tarek went to Cairo once, and got involved in the dealings of thieves. And when this was discovered, it brought much shame to his family, for he was the rightful heir of the Med-jai. This was all discovered when he was just about to take the thrown, so, his mother and the elders discussed everything, and disowned him. Kicked him out of the tribe, never to have any interaction with the Med-jai ever again. He was no longer one of us, and it crushed him.   
"So, he left us, and Ardeth took over as our king, and has been telling everyone that his brother is dead. In a way, Tarek Bay is dead, for he is dead to all of the Med-jai, but I know that what happened pains Ardeth very much. He loved his older brother, and was very ashamed at all that he did."  
  
"Yes, that is all very sad, but what does it have to do with Ardeth being gone?"  
"Tarek came back."  
"What do you mean?"  
"The bandits, who had taken over our well, their leader…was Tarek."  
"Family reunion, what does it have to do with my husband being gone?"  
"You might want to sit down, Emily, this is a long story…you see, three days ago, as the battle against the bandits was drawing to an end…"  
  
~~  
"Master Ardeth!" Ahmad shouted as he rode up to his king, "It is soon over!"  
He guided his horse next to Ardeth, who was sitting on his own horse, on top a low dune, watching the battle unfold.   
  
"Ahmad, how long have you been my friend?"  
"Since I was born."  
"Then you really don't have to call me 'Master'."  
"Yes, Master." He said with a smile. Ardeth shot him a look.  
  
"What news of this do you bring?"  
"It is over, those who were not killed have retreated."  
"And their leader?"  
"We have him, if you wish to speak to him."  
"I do, take me to him."  
  
The two lifelong friends rode down to the small battlefield. Where their fellow Med-jai warriors had started to clean up the bodies of the bandits who had taken over a rightful Med-jai water supply. They rode up to where there were three warriors tying up a large man, dressed in dark robes. He had a hood over his head, covering up his forehead, and a mask covering all his face except for his eyes.   
  
"Are you the leader of these bandits?" Ardeth asked, still on top his horse. The man did not answer, he just looked at the Med-jai, eyes wide.   
"Answer me, are you the leader?" Still the man said nothing,   
"Answer the King of the Med-jai!" Ahmad said bitterly.   
  
But the man did not answer them, he just stared into Ardeth's eyes.   
"I will ask you once more, scum, are you the leader?" Nothing. "Can you not understand me?" Still nothing, so, Ardeth repeated the question in Egyptian, Hebrew, and finally English, but the man still did not say a thing.   
  
"Have it your way, scum, you will soon join your fallen brethren." Ardeth turned his horse and began to ride off, Ahmad began to follow him, but a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.   
  
"Going to have your own brother killed, are you Ardeth?"  
  
The two warriors turned around and rode back to the bandit, eyes wide.   
"My brother is long dead, scum!" Ardeth roared.   
"Am I?" The bandit spoke again, staring right into Ardeth's eyes.   
"How dare you try and pass for my brother in some helpless plea to save yourself!"  
  
"Have them take off my mask and I will prove to you I am who I say."   
Ardeth nodded his head, and one of the Med-jai standing next to the tied up bandit tore off his mask, resulting in load gasp coming from the small group. Ardeth stared into the man's face, eyes wide in horror, mouth open a bit. The man looked just like the Med-jai chieftain, except he did not have any facial hair, nor did he have the same full lips Ardeth had, why the man could have been Ardeth's brother. Ahmad himself, looked at Ardeth shocked. No one knew what to do, and no one spoke. They just all stared at the bandit in the sand. Finally, in a gasp, Ardeth said, "Tarek?"  
  
The bandit smiled softly. "Hello, brother."  
Ardeth felt like he was about to fall off his horse in a faint. Before him, kneeled down in the sand, was his older brother, whom he had not seen in twenty years , his older brother, who was disowned by his family and the Med-jai, shortly after the death of his father. Regaining his composer, Ardeth sat up straight, closed his mouth in a tight frown, and stared down at Tarek Bay.   
  
"I should have known you would end up like this." Ardeth said grimly, "A bandit stealing from your own people."  
"My people disowned me!"  
"Never mind that, you stole from the Med-jai. You do know that could mean your death."  
  
"You really are going to kill your own brother. That's really cold Ardeth, don't tell me you have turned into some animal, going around, killing everyone who crosses the Med-jai path."  
"SHUT UP!" Ardeth bellowed. "Shut up you fool! How dare you speak to me that way!"  
"HEY! I am supposed to be the one sitting there, remember!" Tarek snapped.   
  
Ardeth turned his horse around, but before he rode off, he said, "This one does not die." And with that, he and Ahmad rode away from Tarek Bay, leaving him in the dust and sand.   
~~  
  
"Later that night, Ardeth and Tarek had a more…privet conversation, where Tarek explained that he was in deep trouble, and needed his brothers help. I do not know what they talked about, but there was much shouting. The next morning, Ardeth told me that he was going to help his brother get to Damietta, and that it would take about two weeks."  
  
Emily sat back stunned, she wouldn't see her husband for two weeks! It would be the longest time she has ever been away from him in the five years that they were married. She knew that Damietta was a long ways away. Maybe a hundred miles away from Cairo. Her heart sank, and her mind raced.   
  
"That long?" She asked, her hands moving over her stomach. "He can't be gone for that long!"   
"I know it will be hard for you Emily. But Tarek is family, and Ardeth could not turn him away."  
Emily let out a sigh and stood up. "Fine…fine."  
"What are you going to do?"  
"I don't know…Tell Meelesh that it is ok to send Tom back to me now, I will be in my home, resting."   
  
Ahmad nodded and bowed his head in respect. "Yes, Lady Emily."  
"And don't call me that."  
"Yes, Lady Emily."   
Had she been in the mood, she would have pounced on him, but she was not. She just gave him a, "I will kill you later look", and walked out of the tent.   
  
~~  
Emily flopped down on the "couch" in her home. She and Ardeth did not live in a tent anymore; they had a real house built for them a year after getting married, right after Tom was born. The couch was really many pillows, she didn't mind them, they were comfortable, and she loved her home. It was not that much bigger then their tent had been, and it was cool during the heat of the day. Emily let a long sigh slip from her, as her hand found its way to her stomach again. She remembered 4 days before, when Ardeth was leaving for the battle.   
  
~~  
"Emily", Ardeth said, trying to wiggle out of his wife's arms, "I really have to go now."  
"Oh no you don't," she said, holding on tighter, "You are not going anywhere."  
Ardeth smiled and kissed his wife, pulling her into one of his deep, soulful kisses. Emily melted in his lips, longing for it to last forever. But, sadly, he pulled away.   
  
"No…"  
"I'm sorry, but I really have to go now, Em, they are waiting for me."  
"Let them wait." She leaned in and kissed him again. And while they were kissing, Ardeth picked his wife up out of the bed.   
  
"Take me with you." She breathed into his ear. It drove him crazy when she did this, and she knew it. He opened the door with his foot, and walked into the living room, she nuzzled her face into his chest. When they got to the front door, he dropped his arm holding her legs, forcing her to stand.   
  
"I REALLY have to go Em, please…"  
"Oh…alright." She said. Wrapping her arms around his neck, "One more kiss."  
He gave her yet another long, deep, soulful kiss, which made her legs turn to jelly. When it broke, Emily refused to let go of him. He sighed, and unwrapped her arms from his neck.   
  
"Why must we do this every time?"  
"Because I don't want to let you leave me."   
As he opened the door, Ardeth placed a hand around Emily's waist, and together they walked to the city front.   
  
"I am not going any where, these foolish bandits are trying to take over one of our wells. It will be a simple battle, and I will be back in about 4 days."  
"You better, other wise I am going to have to hunt you down and kill you."   
  
"You couldn't."  
"I could to!"  
"Could not!"  
"Want to bet?!"  
"Hey," he said, squeezing his wife softly, "Remember what happened the last time we made a bet?"  
"Yeah," she couldn't help but steal a kiss from him, "I have gotten 5 wonderful years with you."  
  
A young warrior walked up to them, gliding Ardeth's black horse to his master. Ardeth thanked the boy and looked at his wife.   
"Now, I really have to go."  
  
"Ok, damn you." He pulled her in for another kiss, both of them forgetting that such public displays of affection was frowned upon by the Med-jai culture. When the kiss broke, Ardeth got up onto his horse with grace, the yearly morning light made him look so good to Emily.   
Meelesh came up with Ahmad, holding each other's hands. They two stole a kiss from each other, before Ahmad took his place on his horse and Meelesh stepped up next to Emily. All around them, young and old warriors were getting ready to leave, with families, girlfriends, and wife's saying their good byes.   
  
"We will be back in a few days, have no worries." Ardeth said.   
"We always worry," Meelesh said, "That is the Med-jai woman's job."  
Ardeth smiled sweetly at his sister, and Ahmad smiled sweetly at his wife. When all 20 of the Med-jai warriors, who were going, were ready, Ardeth blew a kiss at his wife and said softly, "I love you."  
  
"I love you." She said back. Ahmad and Meelesh exchanged "I love you's" and with that, Ardeth yelled out the command, and 20 Med-jai with horses thundered out of the city, off to protect their rightful water supply. Emily watched them go, then leaned her head on her sister-in-law's shoulder.   
  
"Oh, Meelesh, why do we have to be in love with warriors?"  
"I do not know, Emily, but they are our men, and I wouldn't have it any other way."   
"Nor would I."  
~~  
  
Emily sighed as she pulled herself from her memory. It had been later that day when she found out she was just over two months pregnant. And all she wanted to do was tell Ardeth about their next child. Only she and Meelesh knew about the child to be.   
  
The front door opened and Tom came running in, jumping into his mother's arms. Meelesh followed with her 2 sons, Codei, 16, and Aamir, 10, along with her daughter, Lamis, 5.   
  
"How do you feel?" Meelesh said, dropping down next to Emily.   
"Oh…alright, I miss Ardeth." Emily adjusted the 4-year-old in her arms. "I just want to know if he is alright…I just want him to come back to me." She looked at her family, and with a sigh, she said, "A few months ago, we got a letter form the O'Connell's, that said they were in Cairo. I will go there tomorrow morning, tell the men to have my horse ready, and I assume I will have the usual protection." This meant 4 Med-jai with her at all times she was out side the Med-jai City.   
  
"Yes, Lady Emily." Meelesh said.   
"Please…Meelesh…do you call your brother 'King' or 'Master' like everyone else does?"  
"No."  
"Then don't call me 'Lady', you are my sister, you can just call me 'Emily'."   
  
"Yes, Lady Emily." She ducked at the pillow that flew at her head, hitting Codei in the face. With a giggle, he picked it up and threw it at his mom, hitting her upside the head. She picked it up and hit Aamir with it, who in turn grabbed his own pillow and threw it at Emily. A full on pillow fight broke out, leaving everyone out of breath and laughing on the floor of Emily's living room.  



	2. Past stories for brothers

The screech of a hawk tore through the sky, causing Ardeth and Tarek to look up from their horses. They had been riding through the desert for a day and a half now, and there had not been much conversation. They would reach Cairo late in the afternoon, and Ardeth welcomed it. He would get supplies while Tarek hid. Both knew that some bounty hunters in Cairo would be looking for him.   
  
The hawk swooped down and glided over the two, until Ardeth held out his leather gloved hand, and the bird landed on it with grace. Ardeth, who had stopped his horse, pet the bird gently and took a small bag off the bird's foot, pulling out the small note that was inside. Opening it, he read the note with a smile on his face, and sighed as he folded up the note.   
  
"What did it say?"  
"It said that when we get to Cairo, there will be identification there for you, with a new name and life. That we will use to get you out of Egypt."  
"Anything else?"  
"It said that my wife is going to Cairo to visit some old friends."  
  
"Wife?" Tarek asked, eyebrow raised. "Do I know her?"   
"Not likely, but if you did…I don't think it would surprise me."  
Ardeth pulled out a tiny piece of paper and wrote a small message on it, folded it up, and stuck it into the small ouch on the bird's leg. He gave the hawk another quick pat, then sent it skyward. It flew off in the direction it had come.   
  
"What did you say?"  
"Just a message to my wife." He rode off again.   
"So, who is this mystery woman who stole my little brother's heart?" Tarek said, as he rode along side Ardeth.   
"Her name is Emily, and she is an American."  
  
"Really? Well, how did you get that passed the Elders?"  
"It was not easy, but I would not take no for an answer, and everyone in town loved her as much as I did, so we married. All the Elders except for Jakum excepted her. It took Emily saving his life for him to finally except her into the Med-jai."  
"Huh, and what is this Emily like?"   
  
Ardeth thought for a while, then said, "She is the very food of my life. If I did not have her with me, I think I would be dead right now. She is strong, loving, and beautiful. She is…a warrior and a queen. I love her more then life its self, and I could not even begin to think about what life would be like with out her. It pains me knowing I will be away from her for so long…"  
  
"Well, brother, I'm happy you found love."  
"I have found more then that…"  
"She give you any children?"  
"Yes, Tomas, and he is four. He is the greatest little thing in my life. Him and Em make me complete."  
"Tomas?"  
"It was her father's name."  
"Hum."  
  
"What about you, Tarek, have you found love?"  
"I did, but sadly, I lost it."  
"I'm sorry. May I ask the story?"  
"Her name was Fara, and we fell in love the second we met. But she was…she was killed. It has been about five years since that happened."  
Ardeth winced as he thought about almost losing Emily five years before.   
  
"But I do not wish to go into the story more then that, it pains me so."  
"I understand, believe me, I understand."  
Tarek smiled at his little brother and the rest of the ride was silent.   
  
~~  
They reached Cairo at nightfall, and they hid Tarek and the horses in a small stable that was used by the Med-jai when they were in town. Ardeth sat out of foot to get what he needed, and he crossed town in record time, entering a small shop only 3 minutes after they reached the city. He crossed to the back of the store, behind the counter, and into a tiny back room. In there was a small elderly man who smiled as Ardeth entered.   
  
"Master Bay, the paper work you requested." The small man handed Ardeth a large envelope. He opened it and spilled its contents on a table. In it was a passport, and identification card. Each had to be signed by Tarek with his new name, Furuz Mahkbhubi.   
"Um…old friend, this name…it is a little…strange." Ardeth said, looking at the name.   
"No, Master Bay, it is a perfect name. Believe me."   
  
The Med-jai looked at the old man side ways, then sighed. There was nothing he could do but take the papers and hope no one asked questions. He put all the papers back into the envelope, paid the man, and left the store quickly. Again crossing the town in record time, he was relieved to find Tarek still in the stable when he got back. Ardeth handed his brother the papers and left again, off to pick up supplies and other things for the long trip they would be taking. He went to all the shops that the Med-jai used, and picked up everything he needed.   
Placing everything on a tab, so he could save money for future stops in other towns. As he bought his items, he saw Evelyn O'Connell pass by the window of the store, talking with a tall man he could not see, but he assumed it was her brother or husband. Ardeth was happy they did not see him, for he did not have time to stop and talk with his old friends, although he did really want to at least say hello. He also made a quick stop at a tiny bank, getting a small amount of money out of an account he and Emily had there.   
  
Went he got back to his brother, they loaded the horses and were ready to set out again. Ardeth knew it would be helpful if they got well away of Cairo before they stop to rest, but they did not leave just then. Ardeth, with the help of a small lantern, wrote a quick letter in a language that Tarek had never seen before. He wrote about a half a page of it, before folding the letter and placing it in a small envelope, and addressing the front in the same strange language. Under the strange words, he wrote something in English as well.  
  
"Come on, we must ride through a part of Cairo so that I may drop off this letter." Ardeth said as he mounted his horse.   
"What the hell kind of language is that?" Tarek asked as he mounted his own horse.   
"It is a special language that only one other person in this world knows."  
  
Tarek did not ask any more questions about the letter. They rode as quickly as they could, before coming to a stop in front of a large, gated home. Ardeth quickly jumped from his horse, took the letter, and stuck it in a small mailbox that was implanted in the wall. He mounted the animal again and they rode off, leaving the house behind them.   
"Who's home was that?" Tarek asked, as they rode off.   
"Just some old friends of mine." Came the reply. Then there was silence until they stopped for the night, about five miles out side Cairo.   
~~  
"Aunt Emily," the soft voice rang in her ears, "Aunt Emily, it is time to get up. You leave for Cairo soon."  
Emily groined as she sat up, opening her eyes, looking into the face of her 16-year-old nephew.   
  
"Ok, ok Codei, I'm getting up." She said, looking around, her eyes landing on her sleeping son, where her husband should have been. With a sigh, she swung her legs off her bed, as Codei left the room. Emily began to dress for the day, loose pants, and a tank top. It was really all she wore when she left the city; it was she felt most comfortable in. As she was doing so, Meelesh entered, in traditional Med-jai riding clothes for women.   
  
"I suggest you wear the riding clothes." She said, "It will be hotter for you if you wear that."  
Emily looked at her clothes, and then at Meelesh's clothes. "Oh...alright. By the way, where are you going?"  
"I am going with you."  
  
"Why?" Emily pulled out her own riding clothes, and began to dress in them.   
"Because I want to, that's why. Besides, I want to make sure you and the baby are going to be fine."  
"You really don't have to come, Meelesh, I will be fine."  
"I am going with you wither you like it or not, so get used to having me around. We will leave in 20 minutes." She left the room.   
  
With a sigh, Emily crossed to her sleeping Tom, and gently woke him up. She helped him get dressed and get his things together. He had not been to Cairo since he was one, and he was excited to go. Ten minutes later, Emily and little Tom left their home, and walked to the city kitchen, where they ate a small breakfast. All the time, Emily could not help but think of her missing husband, she wondered what he was doing, who he was with, when he would come home. Looking at their child, she realized how much he looked like Ardeth. His jet black, curly head of hair, his thin top lip and full bottom lip. He was a mini-Ardeth, except for his eyes. Tom had Emily's light, olive green eyes, and it made him more beautiful then both his parents. But that was fitting, for he WAS both his parents in one little body. She insisted that he be named after her beloved father, and Ardeth did not disagree with her. This memory took her back to another, when she had first told Ardeth they were going to be parents.   
  
~~  
"Ardeth!" Emily called out, her hand placed firmly on her stomach. She walked to the back of their city, where her husband was teaching young warriors to fight.   
He was in the process of taking a young warrior down when he heard her call out his name. He did not look up; he went for a quick "kill" and ran off to his wife.   
  
"You called?" he said with a smile. Since Emily and he married, his smiles were more frequent, and she loved it when he did smile.   
"We need to talk, follow me." she moved her finger in a "Come hither" fashion, and started to walk to their tent. Ardeth's smile widened as he followed his lovely wife. When they entered their home, Ardeth removed his turban, and Emily grabbed his robes and pulled him into her, kissing him deeply.   
  
When the kiss broke, Ardeth looked at her; his eyebrow raised a bit.   
"What was that for?" he said, as Emily wrapped her arms around his neck.   
"Oh...you know…just because." He wrapped his own arms around her back, holding her close to him.  
  
"You pulled me away from training for that?" He said in a mocking manner.   
"Not just that, I have some news for you."  
"And that is…?"  
  
She pulled away from him, took his right hand, and laid it on her stomach. As she did this, his eyes got real big, and he knew what was coming.   
"We better get a bigger tent." She said softly, a smile making her way across her face. Ardeth went pale from the shock.   
  
"Your…I mean…we're going to be…there's a little us in there?" His eyes lit up as they stared at her midsection; they were large and innocent, like a child's. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on her sides, pulling her close, he then placed his ear up to her stomach, trying to hear their child. As he did this, Emily laughed and ran her hand through his hair.   
  
"You could put it that way, yes." She said with a giggle. He took his head away and looked up at her, his eyes shining and wide.   
"I though you knew about babies and all this stuff." She said gently.   
"I do! I just have never had…a little me inside of someone before!" this made her laugh even harder.   
  
"Well, I have never had a little person inside me before, so we're both new at this!"  
He let out a little laugh and placed his head back on her stomach. Emily couldn't believe how this news turned her strong, powerful, warrior husband into an innocent child. He stood, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her deeply.   
  
"I want to see it!" He said when the kiss broke. "I want to see that it looks like!"  
"No, no, no. You have to wait for a few months before you can see it."  
Ardeth pouted, "Oh…how long do I have to wait?"  
"Meelesh said I was about 2 months along, so you will have to wait for about 7 months."  
He pouted again, "That's to long…"  
  
When he pouted, she wanted to throw him on their bed and take him then and there, but she held back.   
"I'm sorry, my love, but you have to wait!"  
Ardeth kissed Emily again.  
"I don't mind that at all," he said softly, "As long as it is no longer then 7 months."  
"I hope not!" she exclaimed, "it's going to be hard enough to carry this him around for 7 months!"  
  
"Him?" Ardeth said with a smile.   
"Or her." She said, kissing him again.   
"You know, I need an heir to the Med-jai…"  
"I don't care, I want a daughter!"  
They kissed again, long and deep.   
"Or…a son would be nice…" Emily said, melting in his arms, Ardeth laughed.   
That night, there was much rejoicing at the news of the pregnant queen. And seven months later, after screaming all the swear words she could think of, and swearing to never let Ardeth touch her again, Emily gave birth to their son, causing both mother and father to break down in joyful tears.   
~~  
  
"Emily!" It pulled her out of her memory, turning, she saw Meelesh looking at her.   
"What?"  
"Are you ok?"  
"Fine…why?"  
"You were just sitting there…staring."  
  
Emily sighed and stood up, "I was just…remembering." She looked around and saw that Tom was gone, and with Meelesh at her side, walked to the City entrance. There, Codei was holding Tom, tickling him. They women mounted their horses, and Codei handed Tom up to his mother. She placed him in front of her on the saddle, and told him to hold on tight. At this point, Ahmad came out to bid his wife and sister-in-law goodbye, telling them to be careful, and that he would take care of everything on his end. Meelesh blew him a kiss, and told him she loved him, he did the same. Two of the Med-jai warriors packed up the supply horse, and then mounted themselves. When everyone was ready, the queen, prince, and princess of the Med-jai, along with six warriors, thundered out of the city and into the early morning.   
  
~~  
The two-day ride was uneventful. Tom loved riding through the desert, and wanted to stop at every interesting thins he saw, which, for a 4-year-old, was a lot. And except for Tom's persistent questions, and Emily's constant answers, the ride was silent. That night, they stopped behind a large dune, and sat up a small camp, complete with a tiny fire. Two Med-jai stood on top a large dune, keeping watch, and the other 4 sat with Emily, Meelesh, and Tom, by the fire. They all sat in silence, for little Tom had fallen asleep.   
  
"How do you feel?" Meelesh asked, looking at Emily, who was laying on her back, one hand over her stomach.   
"Fine," she said softly. "I miss Ardeth."  
"I bet he misses you just as much."  
"Why did you never tell me about Tarek?"  
Meelesh let out a soft sigh, and stared at the fire for a little bit before she answered.   
  
"Because, like with Ardeth, he is dead to me. I was only 15 when it happened, I lost my father and my brother in the same week, and it was horrible."  
"Do you ever think about him, now?"  
"Sometimes…but not often."  
  
Emily sighed and sat up, tipping her head back so she could stare up at the sky. Oh…how she wanted to be in Ardeth's arms. She knew they were sappy in their affection for each other, but she did not care. She loved him, and he loved her. He meant the world to her, and being with out him for this long was going to be just horrific. Emily wondered what he was doing right then, and where he was. The night before she received a message from Ardeth's messenger falcon, and it told her he loved her, he would miss her, and would be back as quickly as he could. It also said to tell his friends hello for him, and that a letter would be waiting for her when she got to the O'Connell's house. With a yawn, Emily laid back on her soft bedroll, pulled Tom in close to her, and covered the both of them with a blanket. Meelesh too, laid on her bedroll and pulled a blanket over herself. They wished each other, and their bodyguards a good night.   
  
~~  
If silence is golden, then Ardeth and Tarek would be rich. Barely ten words passed between the two brothers during the day, and even less were spoken that night. And as Ardeth laid back on his own bedroll, staring up at the very same sky his wife was looking at, he thought about her, and how he had gotten into this.   
  
~~  
"Some things never change." Ardeth said bitterly, in response to Tarek telling him he was in trouble.   
"Yeah, like your attitude towards me." Tarek shot back, staring his brother down. "Come on, cant you untie my hands? I'm not going anywhere."   
  
Ardeth sighed as he crossed to the back of the chair his brother was sitting in, pulled out a dagger from his robes, and sliced though the robe that was around Tarek's hands.   
"Thank you." He said, bringing his arms around to the front of his body, rubbing his wrists.  
  
"So, why are you in trouble?" Ardeth said, crossing around to the chair that was in front of Tarek's.   
"About…five months ago, I ran into this group of men, and they wanted me to take them to Humanaptra. I knew that if I were to take them there, not only would you kill them, but kill me as well."  
Ardeth nodded. If any Med-jai were to ever tell another how to get to the city of the dead, they would be killed.   
"Yet, I needed the money, so I told them I would take them there. Instead, I took them to the temple of Set, asked for my money, and then escaped that night. Since then, they have been hunting me down, wanting to kill me. There is a rather large bounty on my head, so there are now many who have been trying to find and kill me."  
  
"Why does that sound like something that you would get yourself into?" Ardeth asked, his voice full of bitter feelings towards his brother.   
"I needed the money, Brother, I did what I had to do. Do you understand what it has been like for the past twenty years, trying my damnedest to get by! Doing odd jobs all around this damn Egypt just to put food in my mouth!"  
  
"You put yourself in that position, Tarek. It is no ones fault but your own that your life has ended up this way!"  
"So, what, is every time I talk to you end up a guilt trip?"  
"What do you want me to say to you? That it is all ok? All is forgiven, come back home with me and start over again? What do you want? Money? Food? Shelter? I don't know how to help you Tarek! It is your fault that your people disowned you! And maybe you should have thought about what could happen to you, before you went off with those thieves and ruined your life! So what do you want now? To come back to the Med-jai, pretending that everything is fine, just so you can stay alive a little while longer, because yet another bad choice YOU made has turned itself into your own death warrant!"   
  
Tarek sat back, stunned. Never had he seen his little brother act like this, never had he seen Ardeth snap in such a way. They both sat silent for a minute, trying to figure out what to say next.   
"Look," Tarek said finally, "I know that you must hate me for what happened. For what I did…but I need your help. There are about fifty men out there who want to kill me, and I don't want to die! I know I screwed things up for myself, and I can't change that. I don't know anyone else in this whole world that can help me but you, and if I have to get on my knees and beg for your help, I will. Why else do you think I came here? I knew that you would never let anyone take over a Med-jai well, but when I heard about some bandits who were stupid enough to try, I had to get in on it. It's not like I can just ride up to the Med-jai City and come see you. So I got in on this plan to take over that well out there, in hopes that it would bring me to you. And it did. So now I am asking for your help in fixing this mess I got myself into."  
  
"I am not the one to clean up your messes, Tarek."  
"I know, but who else in this whole damn world could I go to, huh? Can you name one person who would help me? Its not like I can just hop on a ship, and go somewhere else. They've got guys at the docks, with my picture, waiting for just that!" He lowered his tone. "Ardeth, I need to get out of Egypt. For so many reasons. And I know only you who could help me. Please don't turn me away." His eyes became small and sad, as they silently pleaded with Ardeth to help him.   
  
Ardeth looked at his older brother for a long time, his mind working in a million different ways. How could he possible help the man who sat in front of him. Why would he want to help him. How could he get his brother safely out of the country. Izzy? Ardeth shot that thought down right after he thought it. He knew one thing for cretin, there was no way Tarek Bay could ever rejoin the Med-jai.   
After all Tarek had done to the Bay family name, why should Ardeth help him? There Tarek was, young, strong, handsome, the heir to the kingship of the Med-jai. Yet he had gone off and gotten involved with thieves in Cairo. No one ever really knew why he got involved with them, but he had. Then, Omar Bay had been killed in battle, and it came time for Tarek to take over as king. But he was caught while stealing something from a home in Cairo, and he whole dark life discovered by his people. It shamed and pained his family to watch the events unfold, and it pushed his already brokenhearted mother to the breaking point. For days, she and the tribe elders discussed the future of young, Tarek Bay. And finally, they decided to disown him. It was a harsh punishment, and the elders nor Ardeth's mother never talked about why they decided it, but it was what they chose. So, Tarek was kicked out of the lives of the Med-jai, never to be allowed back into the twelve tribes again, and Ardeth took over as King of the Med-jai.   
  
Ardeth himself hated Tarek for ruining his life in such a way. He had always looked up to his big brother for guidance and strength. Then he betrayed his people and his family in such a horrible way. And after all that had happened, an 18 year-old Ardeth was shoved into the kingship, not knowing what to do, and how to do it. All his life, Ardeth was never taught the ways of the Med-jai Chieftain, it was always Tarek who got those lessons. Then he was king, and he had no idea what to do. Ardeth was thankful for his mother and the elders, for they helped him through everything. Soon, all the Med-jai forgot about Tarek Bay. All, except Ardeth and Meelesh, who would stay up late nights to talk about their brother. But soon, even they had forgotten about him. Life went on with out Tarek Bay, and then there he was, back in Ardeth's life. Unannounced, and uninvited. Yet, Ardeth knew he could not turn his brother away, even after all he had done to him.   
  
That night, Ardeth came up with a plan to get Tarek safely out of the country. They would pick up some false identification in Cairo, then go on the week long ride to Damietta, a port town at the very top of Egypt, right on the Mediterranean Sea. He would see to it that his brother would get on the boat safely, then leave, making the long trip back to his wife and child. The boat would take Tarek to where he wanted to go, so that he could start a new and better life. Ardeth had a small amount of money for his brother, and would get some more when they would reach Cairo.   
  
The next morning, Ardeth discussed it with both Ahmad and Tarek, and they both agreed that it was the best plan. Tarek was overjoyed that Ardeth was going to help him, but Ardeth himself was not too happy about the whole thing. It would mean two or more weeks away from his family, but Tarek was family to, and he could not bare to see his brother's death.   
~~  
  
So, here he was. In the desert, under the stars, laying next to his brother on bedrolls, stomachs barely full, mind racing. With a sigh, he looked over at his older brother. Tarek was a year and a half-older then Ardeth, and he was about the same height. Had the same hair, color, length, and slight wave to it. For 19 years, Tarek had told him, he had covered his Med-jai tattoos with make up, so that no one would knew he was once a Med-jai, but now, on this small trip, his tattoos remained uncovered. They were very different from Ardeth's. Where as Ardeth had matching symbols on his cheeks, and a long string of symbols across his forehead, Tarek had two different symbols on his cheeks, and a short string across his forehead. Yet both men had the strange tattoos on their hands, the three points. Ardeth wore his sacred marks with pride and Tarek wore his in shame.   
  
Tarek was laying back, looking up at the stars as well, when he felt his brother's glare. He turned to Ardeth, propping himself up on one elbow.   
"Tell me brother, what has life been like as Chieftain of the Med-jai?"  
Ardeth snorted. "More hectic then you might think. I have had to do more then Father had to do, that's for sure."  
"Really? Like…?"  
"Do you really want to know?"  
"Hey…we have not said 20 words to each other today, talk! I may not get another chance to spend such time with you."  
For the first time today, Ardeth smiled. He to sat up, and began his story.   
  
"Four years into my Kingship, Some foreigners came to Humanaptra, and while we attacked them, we did not kill them. We really should have, but we did not. You see, they found the Creature, and worse, they awoke him."  
"They…they woke up Imhotep?"  
"Yep. Oh…were the Elders not pleased. Well, the Creature went to Cairo to go after the men who had opened the sacred chest, and there, both he and I ran into the fools who brought him back. And the Creature wanted the Woman, Evelyn, as a human sacrifice to bring back Anack-su-namun…"   
Ardeth spun the story of the first time they all had a run in with Imhotep, complete with the plane ride he took, killing the mummies, the room of gold, and right down to Rick using Ardeth's cheek to light a match.   
  
"It hurt like hell." He told his brother. "So, Rick threw the dynamite at the mummies, and was able to kill them, but not stop all of them. So, as Rick and Jonathan got the Book of Amun-ra , I ran into this hallway full of these mummies, and I started to beat them off with this riffle, and I was doing an ok job, but couldn't get the upper hand. Something inside me told me to turn to the right, and I did, and right as I did, these huge blast tore through the hall. Burning all the mummies to…well…to death. And as I turned to look to see where it came from, I saw Rick and Jonathan run past me, and turn left, to go save Evy. They did not see me, but I saw them, and sent a prayer to Allah that they could save the girl and kill the Creature. They succeeded, and I am grateful that they did."  
  
"Wow…" Was all Tarek had gotten out. Ardeth told the story like it was nothing, just a walk in the park. "You speak of it like it was nothing, like it was simple to take down the Creature."   
"Well, that time, I had an easy part, but the second time…"  
"Second time?"  
  
"You see, Imhotep had some followers. I do not know why, but he did, and about nine yeas after he was put back into the ground, he was dug up again. His followers wanted to bring him back, so that he could go and fight the Scorpion King. So, they dug up the Creature, and went after the Bracelet of Anubis, which, luckily, had fallen into the hands of my old friends, Rick and Evelyn O'Connell."  
  
Once again, Ardeth spun the story about the mummy returning. This one was more elaborate, and his hands moved about as he told his brother about the flying ship, the wall of water, Alex, the bracelet, the sand castles, Horus, Lock-nah, the pygmies, the Army of Anubis. Evy's death, how Alex brought her back, how she is a reincarnated princess, how Rick is a reincarnated Med-jai, his tattoo. The scepter, how they beat the Scorpion King, how the oasis collapsed in on itself, and, finally, how Jonathan had pulled the diamond off the top of the gold pyramid.   
  
This time, when Ardeth finished the story, Tarek just stared at him, eyes wide. He sat for a minute, then finally said.   
"Huh…and this Army of Anubis…good warriors?"  
"Good…for nine-foot tall dog like creatures."  
Another long pause. "Huh. Well, I think that is enough story telling for tonight, g'night."  
  
"Good night, Tarek, sleep well. I will keep the first watch."  
Ardeth watched as his brother rolled over, pulled a thin blanket over himself, and drifted to sleep. It was a sight that Ardeth had not seen on more then twenty years, and with a sigh, he continued to watch his brother sleep.   



	3. Getting to Cairo

Note: Wouldnt Alex be the hottest teen? Just a thought, for he is about my age in this story. But think about it, he's cute at 8, think of how he would be at 15!   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Emily, Meelesh, Tom, and 6 of his men rode into the front gate of the O'Connell's Egypt home. A woman come running out of the house, throwing her arms around Emily, who had just a second before dismounted.   
"EVY!"   
"EMILY!"   
Rick and Jonathan walked up to them, and Emily threw herself into Rick's arms, gave him a tight hug, then into Jonathan's arms, hugging him just as tight. Suddenly, a large chatter fell over the group as they talked about how great it was to be around each other, and Meelesh stepped in to get her fair share of hugs from the group.   
  
Finally, a young man came out of the house. He was about an inch shorter then his Rick, and had the same blond hair. He smiled at the visitors, flashing a smile that was unmistakable. He crossed to a stunned Emily, wrapping his arms around the woman and picked her off the ground in his hug.   
  
"OH MY GOD! ALEX!" Emily said, as the fifteen-year-old hugged her tight, "Who are you and what did you do with my short little friend!"  
"I grew up!" He said, his face beaming, as he sat Emily down. "It is so nice to see you again! My word! What has it been, 5 years?"  
"Just about." Emily turned and looked at her friends, a huge smile across her face. "I can't believe it has been so long since we have seen each other! We have so much to catch up on!"  
  
In all the excitement, Tom stood off to the side, and his mother and aunt hugged a bunch of strange people who talk funny. He did not see the warrior who stepped up behind him, lifting him in the air and tickling him. His young, joyful laughter filled the air and everyone turned and looked at the Med-jai and the boy.   
Hajeb, one of the warriors she had battled in the garden of this very house, 5 years ago, continued to tickle the little boy. Emily laughed as she crossed to Hajeb and Tom, taking her son from the warrior.   
  
"You were always good at making him laugh like that." She said with a bright smile.   
Turning, she carried her son to her friends.   
"Everyone, this is my son, Tomas Bay. Tom, these are the people I told you about, the ones who I met when I also met your daddy."  
Ever the shy lad, Tom buried his head into his mom's shoulder. "Now, don't be shy, they are very loving and kind people." Tom lifted his head, and Emily pointed to Evy, "This is Evy O'Connell, this is her husband, Rick. Her brother, Jonathan, and this," she pointed to Alex, "is Alex."   
  
They all took his little hand and shook it, Jonathan throwing in a little pat on the back, and Alex pretended to buckle under the weight of Tom's handshake.  
"That's some hand shake you got there Tom!" he said, "You're a strong one, I bet you could take me down like that!" he snapped his fingers, and Tom giggled. He liked Alex.   
  
"There will be no roughhousing," Evy said, shooting a look at her son.   
"Yeah, he has enough of it at home." Emily said with a sigh.   
The warriors took in Emily's, Meelesh's, and Tom's small suitcases, and took the horses around to the back yard, to a small stable that had been recently built. Ten horses could not hit into the 5-horse stable, so they tied the extra horses to the poles on the out side of each little room.  
"I am so happy that those stables are being used, we have had no need for them yet." Evy said as they journeyed inside.  
The house looked just the same as the last time Emily had been in it, five years before. She could not believe that it had been so long since she saw her friends.   
  
"Emily, you and Tom will be in the guestroom down the hall, if you don't mind, and Meelesh, you will be in the one upstairs." Evy said.   
"Wonderful." Emily let out in a content sigh.   
  
Maria stuck her head out of the kitchen and smiled brightly, then returned back in to finish diner. And Charlie appeared with a bright smile and welcomed Emily back to the house.   
  
~~  
Emily could not help but feel her heart sink as she walked into the guestroom she had inhabited 5 years before. The room where she first laid eyes on Ardeth, first spoken to him, first fell in love with him. Not much in the room had changed, except for new pictures on the bedside table, one, of her and Ardeth on their wedding day. And had it not been for Evy walking in at that moment, Emily would have broken down, crying.   
"Happy to be back?" The English woman said as she entered the room.  
"In many ways, yes." Emily said with a sigh, as she fell back on the large bed, her hand finding its way to her stomach.   
"Where is Ardeth?" Evy asked sweetly, sitting next to Emily.   
"Off…helping an old…friend." Was all that came back, Evy knew not to press her luck.   
"It is a delight to have you, Meelesh, and Tom here. He is the cutest little boy, reminds me a lot of Alex at that age. He has his father's looks, but he has your eyes." She said softly.   
"And he has his fathers sense of adventure." Emily said with a sigh, as she sat up. Evy laughed.   
"Yes, Alex has Rick's sense of adventure, and my sense of getting into and out of trouble." The pair giggled.   
"At least there are no more mummies coming after you this time!" Emily giggled.  
"Or doomsday cults!" Evy shot back, as they both fell back on the bed, laughing. Rick poked his head in and looked at the giggling girls.   
  
"Um…children…dinner will be ready in about five minutes." He said, and ducked at the pillow that flew at his head.   
  
~~  
Emily and Evy joined everyone in the dinning room, and for the first time, Emily noticed a blond woman sitting next to Jonathan. All stood when they entered the room and crossed to the table. Rick was sitting at the head of the table, 1 space on his left were empty, next to the empty space sat Tom, in a booster chair, and Alex. On the other side of Rick, were another empty space, then the blond woman, and Jonathan. At the other head of the table, sat Meelesh.   
Evy let out a little gasp and said, "Emily, I don't believe you have met Carol, Jonathan's wife."  
  
Emily nearly bust out in laughter when the word 'wife' left Evy's lips, but she bit her tongue and held it in. She extended a hand, and the woman took it, shaking it with a bright, wide smile.   
  
"Wonderful to meet you, Emily, I have heard much about you." Carol said with a soft, British accent.   
"Like wise, Carol, I have heard nothing at all about you."  
This made the blond giggle. She was about 5'7, her hair pulled up into a high pony tail, it had to have been down to her mid-back, he had bright blue eyes that twinkled when she moved them.   
  
All who were standing sat down, and Maria and Charlie brought them their meals. After Evy said a quick grace, they dove in to their meal and conversation, and Emily could not wait to hear about this strange woman who could put up with Jonathan enough to marry him.   
  
"Tell me about yourself," Emily said, turning to Carol. As she talked to the woman, she cut up to tiny pieces of food on Tom's plate and placed the fork in his hand, giving him a little, 'you better eat this' squeeze.   
"Well, I met Jonathan here about 7 years ago, Right after he and the O'Connell's got back from their trip down here. We were just friends at first, but after they came back from here 5 years ago, we became more then friends, and have been married for three and a half years!"  
  
Emily looked at the woman, then at the smiling Jonathan. He could tell she was thinking, 'How can she put up with him?' and he winked at her. Emily sat back a little, nodded, and then said, "I am happy for you two. Its wonderful to know a wild one like Jonathan could be tamed."   
  
This caused the whole table to erupt in laughter, except for Tom and Meelesh, who had no idea about Jonathan's past. Jonathan put a hand on his wife's, and said with a joyful smile,   
"Well, 'tamed' is a bit to strong of a word." And the lot of them laughed again.   
  
~~  
Three hours later, Emily sat on the padded bench that sat on the patio of the house. Everything around her reminded her of Ardeth. She thought about the night the Fajarah kidnapped her, how she and Ardeth had kissed for the first time that night. She sighed and looked over at her son, who was asleep next to her.   
  
~~  
"What do you think of, my love?" Ardeth said softly, holding her close to him. The newlyweds were sitting in front of the large bonfire that was burning in the center of town.   
  
"I think of my family, Ardeth, of my brothers and grandfather."  
"Have you not gotten a letter back from them?"  
Emily sighed and stared at the fire, after a long time she said, "I got a letter from them today."  
  
"Oh? What did it say?"  
With another sigh, she said, "It said that…that my brothers could not except what I have done. Nor could they except you into their lives."  
"Why?" He looked at her with deep, sad eyes.   
"They can't seem to see why I fell in love with you or why I married you. The letter said they couldn't understand why I would give up them to live in the desert with…with…"  
"With?"  
  
"With an entire nation of sheep stealers." Emily looked down, tears coming to here eyes. "I can't understand why they won't except you. I just don't understand it. They don't see how much I love you and how happy I am. They think I belong back in America…married to some rich fool from the town. They said that…that I was letting them down and deserting them." Finally, the tears came and Ardeth pulled her closer to him, kissing the top of her head gently.   
  
"Emily…it will all be ok. They will except your choice and me one day. They will have to, once they see how much you love me, and how much I love you."  
He held her for a long time, before she said, "Luckily, my grandfather excepts it."  
Ardeth couldn't help but smile. "See? They will have to except it if your grandfather does."  
  
"I wish my brothers were that simple, but they are not. Grandfather said that he was glad I fell in love with a Med-jai, over all the other Bedouin tribes out here. And he also said that he understands what it is like to fall in love with someone from another culture and have your family dislike the whole thing. He told me not to worry about the boys, because he will make them see that what I did was right."   
  
Ardeth smiled and brought her face close to his. "He is a good man, your grandfather." His lips come to hers, locking on to them. The kiss was long and deep and it left Emily feeling lightheaded.   
~~  
  
Emily opened her eyes and looked around. She was not at home with her husband; she was still on the balcony, with her son asleep next to her. She knew it was late, so she picked up her son and carried him down to their room. Emily laid him on the bed, and gently took off his little boots and little Med-jai robes. When he wore the outfit, he truly looked like a mini-Ardeth. She to, undressed, and put on a short slip, and crawled in to the bed. This movement made Tom wake up, and he looked at her, green eyes shining.   
  
"Mommy?"  
"Yes dear?"  
"Why are we here, and where is daddy?"  
Emily realized that during all that was going on, she had not explained it to her son.   
"Your daddy is out, helping an old friend. You know that will take him away from us for a while. And we are here because I had to get out of our town. I had been there for too long, and I just had to get out of there for a while. And since our friends live here, I decided to come visit them."  
  
"Then why is Aunt Meelesh here?"  
"Well…she came…she came to look over me."  
"Why? Are you sick?"  
"No, but there is something going on inside of me."  
"What?"  
"Well, Tom, you're going to be a brother. You see, I am pregnant, and in a few months, I am going to give birth to the child inside of me and you will be a brother."  
  
Tom's eyes lit up and he smiled brightly. "I'm going to have a baby brother?"  
"Or a baby sister. Yes."  
"Yay! Where is the baby?"  
"It is right inside here." She placed Tom's tiny hand over her stomach. "And in a little while, I am going to become really big. Just like some of the woman in our tribe do at times. You know? They get really big, and then their large stomachs go away? That's what happens to them, they have a baby."  
  
"How long do I have to wait!?"  
"About seven months."  
Tom pouted like Ardeth did when she told him the same thing, so long ago. "But that's so long!"  
"I know, I know. But you have to be patient. And look at it this way, little one, when the baby comes out, you will have all your life to play with them."  
  
Tom giggled.   
"Now, we go to sleep, son. It is late, and we have much fun to do tomorrow. Dreamland awaits you." She pulled the blanket up over the two of them and turned off the small bedside light.  
  
~~  
Emily almost didn't make it to the bathroom of the guest bedroom the next morning. But she made it; throwing her head over the toilet and letting the vomit go. Oh, she hated morning sickness. For the two day span it took her to get to Cairo, she had been able to hold it all down, not really wanting to have to throw up behind a dune. Which was what she had to do when morning sickness hit her at home. She let out a moan when she stopped vomiting; her head still hung over the toilet. She felt a second wave coming, and let it go, the past two days catching up to her.   
  
Oh, Ardeth would pay for this. As soon as he got home, when ever that would be, she would tell him the wonderful news, then kick him in the crotch. So that he could never do this to her again. A third and final wave of it came, and when it was over, she flushed the toilet, another moan coming out of her.   
  
~~  
"'Morning!" Evy said brightly, as Emily walked into the kitchen.   
"'Morning," Emily said, crossing to the table and sitting down. "What's up?"  
"Oh, nothing. We are the only two awake so far. What are you doing up so early?"   
Emily looked at the clock in the kitchen and saw it was 6:30 in the morning. The sun was just about to break over the horizon, aside from the fact that there were large, dark clouds hanging over the horizon as well.   
"I always get up this early, crack of dawn…that's when all the Med-jai get up."  
Evy smiled softly at her American friend, finding it hard, to this day, to think of her as the queen of the Med-jai.   
"How do you like being there?" She asked, sipping her coffee.   
"I just love it…it is…divine. I love being with Ardeth, and everyone there is just so wonderful. You know that. It is such a simple life, but such a perfect life. I couldn't think about living any other way." Emily smiled to her self at the thought of waking up next to Ardeth, just about every day for the past five years. "I really love it there. It is my home."  
  
"That is so wonderful, Emily, I am so happy that both you and Ardeth are happy."  
"We are very happy." As she said this, Emily stood and crossed to the coffeepot, and started to fix herself a cup.   
"What about you? How is England?"  
"Oh my…I an thankful we got out of there when we did. There is a war going on up there, you know."  
"No…I don't. I don't hear of news from the outside world."  
"Heavens, you are lucky then. Yeah, Germany is up there, trying to take over everything. And England is fighting it. There are just some horrible things going on up there."  
  
"Damn Nazi's." Came another, scruffy, voice. Looking up, the two women saw Rick standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking tired, dressed in a robe that was not tied that properly. He let out a small smile and crossed to Emily and, more importantly, the coffeepot. He poured himself a rather large cup, downing half of it black, and in one sip. He then filled the cup again, this time putting in two sugar cubes and a bit of milk. He tasted the coffee, then threw in two more sugar cubes.   
  
"Bastards are trying to take over the world. They are even down here, but not a lot of them, thank god. You'd think that Hitler guy would have something better to do then send all the Jew's to their deaths."  
"Rick, come on, this is not pleasant morning conversation." Evy said, as her husband crossed to the table, sitting next to her.   
"Hey, you two started it. I just put in my opinion." He mumbled, and attacked his coffee cup again.   
  
Emily, who was still standing by the coffeepot, giggled and sipped her own creation. Enjoying every sip of it she could take in. She never got sugar and cream with her coffee at home, at least, not real cream. Of all the thinks she got used to in the Med-jai City, goat's milk was still not one of them. Suddenly, Emily let out a tiny gasp and moved her free hand over her stomach.   
  
"What is it, Emily dear?" Evy said, noticing this, and standing.   
"I have some wonderful news!" Emily said, putting down her coffee cup and placing her other hand on her stomach.   
  
Evy looked at her kinda puzzled for a second, and then her face broke into a bright smile.   
"Are you…?" She gasped out.  
Emily smiled. "Yes, I am."  
  
Evy's eyes lit up and she grabbed her friend, wrapping her arms around the woman.   
"That is wonderful!" She exclaimed.  
When the hug broke, Evy placed her hand over Emily's stomach, trying to feel a movement, but she felt nothing.   
"Oh well," she said with a smile, "we won't feel it for a while."  
  
Rick looked up from his coffee cup, and looked over at the smiling women.   
"What's going on?" He asked puzzled.   
"It looks like Ardeth and Emily are going to be parents!" Evy exclaimed.   
  
"Oh…" Rick said puzzled, he took another sip of caffeine. "But…aren't they already…OH!" It finally hit him. He turned towards Emily, "Really? Another?"  
She giggled and nodded.   
"That's wonderful!" He said, standing up and crossing to her, hugging her tightly. "Congregations!"   
"Thank you!" She laughed. They all sat at the table, and began to talk about the upcoming baby. Over the next hour, Jonathan, Carol, Meelesh, and Alex all got up, all but Alex making their tired way to the now almost empty coffeepot. At one point, they had to make another pot.   
  
Alex walked over to the large kitchen windows, staring at the dark clouds that hung in the distance, which seemed to be getting closer.   
"That looks like a thunderstorm…" He said softly, turning to his family at the table. "Don't get those down here often."   
Emily's attention was torn from her conversation with Rick and she looked over at the windows, nodding her head in agreement.   
"It's been about two and a half years since the last one." She said softly, "I remember the last one very clearly." The sudden memory of the last thunderstorm she had been witness to, made her sit back in silence. But she did not stay that way long, for Tom came jumping into her arms, giving her a morning hug.   
  
"HI MOMMY!" He said, squeezing her neck a little.   
"'Morning Tom, how did you sleep?"  
"Fine!" She picked up her son and placed him in her lap. A string of "Good morning" fell over the table, as Maria placed a plate of fresh muffins and butter in front of them all. Everyone dove into the breakfast, chatting about the day's events.   



	4. Letting go in a thunderstorm

Oh...this is where I get evil to Em. Dont hate me, it was something I wanted to do to her. *Ducks at anything flying at her head.*   
By the way, are there thunderstorms in Egypt? I would have to think so...but they couldnt be often. But hey, if there not...mummies cant come back to life either. So....thats how stories go, right?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"See that?" Ardeth said, pointing to a large group of dark clouds, "Storms coming."  
"So, it is. Looks bad to." Tarek said, nodding his head. "Yes…think we should stop? Might get really bad in there."  
  
Ardeth looked around as he thought. They were about five miles from the nearest town, and that was the town in front of them. It could get really bad if they stopped somewhere in the desert, for the clouds looked like they held much thunder and lighting.   
  
"We should continue on, try and reach the next town and find shelter there, I don't want to be caught out here when that storm hits." He said finally, turning his head towards his brother.   
  
~~  
Emily stared at the clouds, they were still rather far away, and the storm would not likely hit Cairo until late afternoon. She thought about her husband, and wither or not he would get caught in it at all. She tore herself away from the windows and crossed to the kitchen sink, where Rick was washing the morning's dishes. She picked up a towel and started to dry the clean dishes.   
  
"So, where's Ardeth?" Rick said, scrubbing a plate.   
"He's helping an old friend."  
"I thought we were his only friends." Rick said with a smile.   
Emily sighed and picked up a plate and began to dry it. "So did I."  
He noticed this and looked at his friend worried. "Is he ok? When will he be back?"  
  
"He's fine, as far as I know. And he should be gone for about two weeks. It is going to kill me being away from him for that long."  
"Don't worry Emily, he can take care of himself, and will get back to you as soon as he can."  
"I sure as hell hope so, he doesn't even know about the baby."  
  
Before Rick could respond to this, Evy popped into the kitchen holding an envelope.  
"Luv, I almost forgot, we got this in our mail box the other day, it's addressed to you." She handed the package to Emily, who recognized the writing instantly.   
"I didn't recognize the writing, lucky it had some English on it."  
"Whose it from?" Rick asked.   
"Rick! That's not polite!"  
"What? I saw that weird writing, I want to know!"  
  
"It's all right, really." Emily said, opening the letter, "It's from Ardeth. He must have dropped it off before he left Cairo."  
"He was here and didn't stop by? That's a shame!" Evy said.   
Emily read the letter, understand all that the strange words said.   
  
"Dearest Emily,   
I am so sorry that I will be away from you for so long, but I can not turn my brother away. I promise I will be back to you as quickly as I can. It is so hard to believe that Tarek is back in my life. Especially after all that he has done to my family and people, but he is still my brother, and I can not turn my back on him. I will be thinking of you every second I am away, and praying that you and Tom are ok. Please give him a hug for me. Oh, how I wish I could give it to him myself. I will make this time up to you, somehow, I promise. I love you, and I will always be around you in heart and spirit. See you soon, Ardeth.   
Ps, give the O'Connell's and Jonathan my love. I hope that this time, nothing strange happens. Like every time we get around those people."  
  
Emily sighed softly and read the letter over and over, until she finally folded it back up and placed it back in the envelope.   
"Ardeth sends you all his love." She said.   
"What kind of writing is that?"  
"It is a special kind of writing we came up with, only he and I know how to read it. It is a cross between Arabic, Hebrew, and English, along with some of our own special symbols."  
"OH!" Evy exclaimed, "That is just so sweet!"  
"Yeah…it is." Emily said softly.   
  
~~  
Ardeth and Tarek ran into the storm as they were about two miles away from the nearest town. Lighting and thunder boomed over head, and the wind blew strongly, bringing up sand like tiny bullets.   
"We are close!" Ardeth yelled through his mask, "Do you think you can make it?!"  
"Yes!" Tarek yelled back, franticly trying to put on his own mask.  
  
They rode off, pushing their horses as fast as they could, franticly trying to close the gap between them and shelter. Looking over, Ardeth saw that Tarek had fallen behind.   
  
"Tarek!" He turned his horse around, and began to ride back to his brother, whose horse was going wild. Ardeth grabbed on to the horse's reins, pulling Tarek's horse into his own.   
"Hold on!" He yelled as he tied one horse to the other. "We have to get there! Quickly!"   
  
Thunder crashed right over their heads, causing both men to jump. Once the reins were secured, they rode off again, pushing their horses even faster then before.   
It took them ten minutes to get into town, but when they finally did, both Ardeth and Tarek were beyond relieved. Ardeth found a small, abounded stable and lead the horses' in. Both men jumped off their horses, and then huddled together, listening as the lighting and thunder went off all around them. Ardeth had not see such a bad thunderstorm since he was in London, seven years before, trying to save Evy from the Creature and his followers.   
  
To the Med-jai, thunderstorms were a bad omen, the worst the storm was, the worst whatever was going to happen. All the tragic events in Ardeth's life had been preceded by some sort of thunderstorm, and as this one crashed over his head, he could only think about that bad it would bring him.   
  
~~  
"Emily!" Alex called, pouncing into the library, where Emily sat reading Tom a book.   
"Yes?"  
"Whatca doin'?" He hoped over to where the two were sitting, and sat down next to them, a huge smile on his face.   
  
Emily and Tom both giggled. "Why, I am reading to my son. That is what I'm doing."  
"Neat! Can I join in?"  
  
"Sure!" She laughed some more. Taking turns, they both read to Tom, until he drifted of into a light nap on his mother's lap. Smiling down at her son, she gently ran her fingers through his soft, curly black hair.   
  
"He's four?" Alex asked quietly.   
"Yeah, he will turn five in about…gosh…six months."  
"He's a cute little bugger, that's for sure."  
"As were you at his age, I bet."  
"Hey! I still am!"   
  
Emily laughed gently, and looked over at her young friend.   
"How you been, Alex?"  
"I've been really good. I am doing great in school, doing well enough to come down here for a year of school abroad. I have some great friends…and…everything is wonderful."  
"How about a girlfriend?"   
  
Alex blushed lightly. "Well…now that you mention it…I don't HAVE a girlfriend…but I am looking…"  
"Looking at…?"  
Alex turned even redder. "SO! What about you?"  
"Don't even try and change the subject on me, young man, I know what someone is trying that trick on me."  
  
"Have you seen Sama since you have gotten here?"  
"No...why…OH! Really?"  
Alex blushed even more. "Don't tell anyone though…I would get teased by everyone!"  
"Don't worry Alex, your secrets safe with me."  
  
"So, really, what about you? How have you been?"  
Emily adjusted Tom on her lap, thought for a minute, then said, "Perfect. Everything has been great. I am so happy with Ardeth and the Med-jai. I am one of them. And even though life gets a little boring at times, I am still just so…happy to be there. Ya know? I am so happy I am a part of that life."  
  
Alex smiled. "That's good. You know…I would love to go back out there one day."  
"Oh, don't worry, you will. Ardeth is going to flip when he sees how you have grown. My god boy, you are taller then him!"  
"Well, I'm not child anymore."  
"Blame it on your mother's death." Emily said softly.   
"Oh, believe me, I do." The 15-year-old said back.   
  
~~  
That day was leisurely for both those in Cairo, and for Ardeth and Tarek, who had been stuck in the stable for the majority of the day. The two men just sat in the back of the stable, away from the slightly spooked horses, and stayed silent. Ardeth did not know the time, but he felt it had to be around one or two, when he looked over to find his brother sleeping. With a sigh, Ardeth adjusted his weight and leaned his head back against the wooden wall, thinking about Emily and what she was up to.   
  
~~  
Around the same time, Emily stared out the windows of the kitchen, eating her small lunch, and thought about her husband in the same way. The storm was much closer to Cairo now, and would most likely hit them in the next hour.   
  
"Luv!" Evy said, walking into the kitchen, "Do you want to go to the market with me real quick?"  
Emily looked out the window, then back at her friend. "I don't know, it's getting close."  
"Oh...we will be back by the time it hits. Come on, we never got to do it last time you were here. Please?"   
  
With a sigh, Emily stood. "Oh, alright. But I am warning you right now, I can't go anywhere with out at least two bodyguards, Ardeth's orders."  
"That's fine dear, I can handle that."   
The two women crossed to the door, and Emily called out to Hajeb and Sabi to come with them.   
  
~~  
"Man, I wish I had these guys with me all the time." Evy said, as they walked through the market. Everyone stepped out of the way for the four, out of fear of the two towering Med-jai warriors that followed the two women.   
"Believe me, it gets old after a while, yeah, its nice having them around, but I have not left my city alone once in the time that I have been there."  
  
"Well, Ardeth just wants to protect you."  
"Yeah, I know. But you've seen me fight."  
More people stepped out of the way for the small group as they made their way to a tiny fruit stand.   
  
"Good day, Mrs. O'Connell." The man at the stand said in a think voice.   
"Good day to you, Mr. Balli. I would like your freshest Mangos please."  
"For you, the freshest anything." He said as he began to pick through a pile of mangos. The air was think and muggy, and Emily fanned herself off with a tiny fan. She suddenly gasped, causing everyone to look at her, and her hand shot over her stomach.   
"Did it move?" Evy asked, placing her hand on Emily's stomach. Indeed it did move, and it moved again, causing small movements against Evy's hand. She smiled happily.  
"OH! What a shame Ardeth isn't here…I would love to see how he acts with Tom."  
  
"He is like a child when they are together. It is really quite funny, but it is very cute. Tom is the apple in Ardeth's eye, he just loves that little boy. I am hoping that this one is a girl. To see how he acts with her."  
"Oh…I pity the man that tries to take out Ardeth's daughter."  
  
"Sadly, I do to!" The women laughed as they went on their way, making a few more stops. Finally, as they were walking home, a large clap of thunder clapped over head, causing the group of four to jump. Looking up, they all saw lighting streak across the sky. They quickened their steps, and got home as fast as they could, as more thunder crashed around them.   
  
"My word." Evy said as she entered the house, followed by Emily, Hajeb, and Sabi. "I have not seen a storm like that in seven years!"  
"You know, thunderstorms are very rear out here, and are considered a bad omen to the Med-jai." Emily said.   
"Really?"  
"Yeah, every time a thunderstorm hits, something horrible happens."  
"Like?"  
  
"Well, Ardeth told me that there was a small thunderstorm about a week before the first time Imhotep was raised from the dead. And he told me about the thunderstorm in London, the second time he Imhotep was brought back, said it was a vicious one to. Then, about two and a half years ago, another thunderstorm hit, and the commander, and his family, of the sixth tribe of the Med-jai was killed in a horrible way."  
  
"Oh my god…so…do you think that this one will bring about something bad?" Evy asked, eyes wide.   
"They always do." Emily said back softly.   
  
~~  
"What do you think will happen?" Tarek asked, turning to Ardeth.   
"I do not know, Tarek, but I do fear it." Ardeth said back, softly.   
"You? Fear something? That's not right."   
Ardeth couldn't help but hear his wife in his head.   
  
"Family life has made you soft, Ardeth." His wife had told him once, running her hand through his hair.   
  
Sadly, it was true. But he felt he had no more need in being the hardened warrior he was for the 33 years he didn't know Emily. Now, he was 38 and had a family to take care of, and life had become, well, rather boring for his people. Nothing exciting ever happened to them, no one bothered the City of the Dead, all the bandits had stayed away from the Med-jai, with the exception of those who tried to take over their well. That was the first battle he had been to in over a year, and to call it a battle, was doing it justice. While the bandits had fought back, they were not a match for the seasoned warriors of his people, and they were all quickly cut down.  
  
"I am capable of fear, I have a family now. I need to fear for them." He said finally.   
"You are a true king then, my brother."  
They sat a little while in silence. The distant sounds of the storm that had, by now, passed over them, the only thing they could hear.   
  
"We should leave soon, Tarek. The storm is headed in the opposite direction of us."  
"As you wish, Ardeth."  
An hour later, the two men left the small stable that gave then shelter in the storm, and rode through the small town they had come to, stopping once for some more food. Then they rode on, not stopping until late that night. They made a small fire and sat in the silence, each in his own thoughts.   
  
~~  
"What way did they go?" The tall, gruff man asked a small shop owner. The small man pointed. Abdul-Qadir, the tall gruff man nodded his head, as he turned to face the four men who were on top of horses behind him. "He says that Tarek went left town about 4 hours ago, dressed as a Med-jai, and riding with another Med-jai."  
"Master Qadir, do you think we should stop for the night?" One man asked.   
  
"No, we will ride on, that fool has stayed out of my hands long enough, I will get him tonight, and I will kill him tonight." Abdul-Qadir mounted his own horse. "They can't be that far away, look for camp fires."  
His men nodded their heads, and the group of five rode out of town, into the night.   
  
~~  
After diner, Emily sat on the back porch, enjoying the lighting that crashed around Cairo. It was late, and she knew it, but she did not care that much. Tom and Alex, who had become fast friends, were playing some sort of game with Carol and Jonathan. While Meelesh, Rick, and Evy hung around the living room, talking about something.   
Emily placed her scared right hand over her belly, rubbing her skin softly with her thumb.   
  
"Whatca thinking about?"  
Emily turned her head at the voice, seeing Rick next to her.   
"Oh…you know, the normal stuff a queen thinks about."  
"I would have no idea what that is." Rick flashed a smile.   
"Basically, how hard I am going to kick Ardeth's ass for leaving me alone for so long."   
  
Rick chuckled. "In that case, I have an idea about what you queens think about." He held out his hand. "Its getting late, Come on inside."  
Emily took his hand and stood, but as she did, a sharp pain shot through her stomach, and she doubled over, holding on to her midsection.   
  
"Emily?" Rick asked, concerned.   
Another jolt of pain flashed through her like lighting. She let out a soft cry.   
"Emily…what's wrong. Em, tell me!"  
She doubled over more as yet more pain shot through her.   
"My baby…" she said softly. Rick's eyes grew in shock and he bent down to her.   
"There is something wrong…Rick…get Mee…AGH!" In a flash of lighting, both of them saw the blood that appeared on Emily's pants.   
"Oh my god…" Rick gasped. He turned and ran part way in to the house.   
  
"EVY! MEELESH! Come quick! Something's wrong with Emily!" He yelled, then ran back out to Emily, who was now on the ground, crying out in pain.   
"Emily…Emily…we have to get you inside, do you think you can walk?"  
  
She shook her head through her tears, her face twisting in pain. Rick gently took her right arm and placed it around the back of his neck, and swung his other arm under her knees. With a grunt, he picked her up, stumbling a little. At this time, Evy and Meelesh had run to the door.   
  
"Oh my god…what's going on?" Evy asked as Rick stepped past her, making a quick dash for the guestroom.   
"There is something wrong with her baby…and she is bleeding." He said as he kicked the door open. Evy ran in and ripped the blankets off the bed, and grabbed some towels, and placed them over the sheets. Rick placed Emily down on the bed, and she curled up into a fetal position, crying out in anguish.   
  
~~  
In his dream, Ardeth watched in horror as his sister ran to his wife, looking in shock at the blood on her pants…and he could hear his wife's cries.   
"There is something wrong with the baby."  
  
~~  
Meelesh looked over her sister-in-law, but already knew what was happening. Emily was having a miscarriage. She turned to Evy and Rick, eyes wide, and told them what was going on. When Emily heard the word, "Miscarriage" she cried out. Rick, whose eyes were already wide in the horror of it all, had to get out of the room.   
  
"I'll…I'll…go call…the doctor…" He bolted out of the room as Meelesh began to yell commands at Evy, and started to undo the top of Emily's blood soaked pants.   
  
~~  
The dream went on, and in it, Ardeth watched as a middle-aged doctor ran into the room where Emily was, and began to help Meelesh with whatever she was doing. He could see lots of blood, and hear the painful cries of his wife. The images flew at him in a mess, the blood…his wife's tears…his sister saying, "There is nothing we can do, the child is dead." He heard that over and over in his dream, along with the cries of Emily. It was all he could take.   
  
"NO!" He screamed, siting up in a daze, chest heaving, and breaths deep and quick. His sudden out burst scared the hell out of Tarek, who was sitting next to him.   
"Ardeth! What is it?" He said, looking at his younger sibling with fear in his eyes.  
"Emily…oh no…Emily…no…" Was all Ardeth got out, tears forming in his eyes.   
  
~~  
For an hour, Rick sat in the library with Alex, Tom, Jonathan, and Carol. No one said a word…they just sat there, staring at each other. Alex held Tom on his lap, gently rocking him back and forth, Carol sat hand in hand with Jonathan, and for a while Rick paced back and forth, but now he was sitting next to his son.   
They had not heard a thing about Emily's condition, but all except little Tom, knew what the outcome of it was. Emily had lost the child.   
  
~~  
"You dreamt what?" Tarek asked, handing Ardeth a canteen.   
"Emily…she…she was pregnant…and she…lost the baby." Ardeth choked out, ignoring the large lump that formed in his throat.   
"Do you think this is true?"  
"I…I don't know…it all seemed so real…my poor Emily…"  
Tarek placed a strong, reassuring hand on his brother's back.   
"I am sure Emily is just fine…and that what you had was nothing more then a bad dream."  
"I am praying to Allah that is right." Ardeth said softly, staring into the small fire.   
  
~~  
"We need to get you cleaned up." Meelesh said softly, sitting next to a crying Emily. She did not respond, she just cried and curled up.   
"Emily…"  
"My baby…" More tears flowed out of her.   
  
Evy came back into the room, for she had left to tell everyone the news. Although she couldn't get the words out, they all saw the expression in her eyes. Carol had started to cry, and Jonathan had wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. Alex put his head down sadly, looking at Tom, Rick stood, and punched the back of a chair, cursing under his breath. As for little Tom, he stared at the reactions of everyone and couldn't understand what was going on, all he knew was that his mommy was hurt.   
  
"Em…come on…can you stand?" Meelesh said softly, placing a hand on Emily's hair.   
"I lost my baby…"  
"I know, darling, I know." She started to sit Emily up, but the crying girl pushed her away.   
  
"I can do it myself…" She said though tears. Emily crawled off the bed, her right hand landing in a tiny puddle of blood. She gasped and pulled her hand away. Somehow, she made it across the room, into the bathroom, and then broke down again, sinking next to the tub on the floor. Meelesh and Evy ran in, and helped her into the tub. They carefully removed the remaining clothing she wore, all of witch, even her bra, were bloody. Evy turned on the faucet and held her hand over the water, until the water turned warm, then she grabbed the stop for the drain.   
  
"No…turn on the…shower. It will be better for her, so she is not soaking in the blood…" Meelesh said.   
Evy nodded and turned a knob, a second later, the water fell out of the showerhead, over Emily. Who was still crying, her hands clawing at her stomach.   
  
"Please…" She said softly, "Please leave me…"  
"Emily…I don't think…"  
"GO!" Emily snapped. Meelesh and Evy looked at each other. As she stood, Evy closed the shower curtain. Emily heard the door close, and then heard only the water falling from the showerhead. Her tears had now stopped flowing freely, and she just laid there, letting the water flow over her in a daze.   
  
~~  
Evy could not believe what had happened. One minute, she was having a pleasant conversation with Meelesh, the next she was being informed that Emily had a miscarriage. Now, she was standing in her guestroom, bloody, looking around, she saw the blood soaked sheets and towels.   
  
"In my tribe," Meelesh began, "When a woman loses a baby in this way, we burn the sheets and all that was connected to the lost baby…"  
"Take them." Evy said, dazed and confused. "Take them…and burn them."   
"I will need your clothes as well…"  
  
"I will have them for you in a little bit." With that, Evy ran out of the room and upstairs, finally collapsing in the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom, she could no longer hold in her tears. A minute later, Rick entered, and sat down next to his wife, holding her and whispering, "It's all going to be ok."  
  
~~  
Emily laid in the shower until the water turned bitterly cold, but even then, she didn't turn if off just yet. Though she had no strength, she had managed to clean her self up a little bit, scrubbing the blood off her legs, thighs and other parts of her body. She felt tired and horrible, and all she wanted to for Ardeth to come through the bathroom door, pull back the curtain, and tell her everything was going to be ok, because he was there.   
  
The door did open, and someone did pull back the curtain, but instead of Ardeth Bay, she got Meelesh Manaheemi. She reached over and turned off the water, feeling it as she did so.   
  
"Oh my…Em…it's ice water…"   
"I don't care…" Came the soft reply.   
Meelesh helped Emily sit up, and then helped her out of the tub, she handed her sister-in-law a towel, a robe, and a soft slip.   
"I will be back in about five minutes, do what you have to do." Meelesh said softly. Emily nodded and smiled weakly at her. Meelesh left, leaving Emily to dry off and dress.   
  
~~  
Meelesh helped Emily up the stairs and into her own bedroom, and helped her into the bed. Emily climbed in between the sheets, weak and tired.   
  
"Meelesh…why…why did I lose the child?" Emily said, tears coming to her eyes.   
"I don't know, Emily, I really don't know." She said softly, petting Emily's hair. They both turned as the door opened, and Evy, who had changed, and Alex, who held Tom in his arms, entered.   
  
"Mommy!" Tom yelled as he hopped out of Alex's arms and into his mothers.   
"Tom!" Emily whispered as she held her son tight, the tears spilling finally.   
"You two rest, you both need it." Meelesh said softly, standing. Both she and Evy left the room, but Alex crossed to the bed and sat down next to Emily. He smiled sadly and brushed some hair out of her eyes.   
  
"You have always been strong, Emily." He said softly. "Please, don't give up know."   
Through her tears, Emily sat up and hugged him, and said, "You are beyond your years Alex."   
Alex patted down her hair and said, "Blame it on the death of my mother."   
  
For the first time, a small chuckle came out of Emily. She laid back down and took Alex's hand, giving it a little squeeze.   
"Now, you rest Emily, you need it." He said softly as he stood up. He gave her one last sad smile, and left the room, closing the door behind him.   



	5. Des`demona and the tenth tribe

Um...please dont kill me for that last chapter. Tee hee. And Kit? "Could you make it so that Jonathan and Carol have a baby too?" I will answer that in this chapter.   
  
Special note, again, Angie saved my butt by helping me with my story. She wrote the bit where it describes the cave, and Des`demona. Like I said before, she is really the co-author of this story. Just look at how well she writes! She is amazing at describing things.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
It took Ardeth Bay along time to fall asleep that night, worried his dreams would be plagued with the dream he had before. But when he finally drifted off to dreamland, he did not dream of his wife in pain, he dreamt of a cave.   
  
The cave was not at all small, nor was it spacious. The walls were smooth; a pale alabaster in hue, flecked with bits of obsidian here and there -- like marble. Light streamed from the ground, from some unknown source, bathing the entire area in an ethereal white glow. Across the back wall the colors shifted, blotches of pale scarlet, chartreuse, cobalt, and amethyst covering it like a myriad of rainbows. But this wasn't the most amazing sight.   
  
The thing that caused Ardeth's eyes to widen with shock was the being just ahead of him. She was a beautiful young woman, looking no more then a teenager, her eyes dancing with an innocent that had never faded from her childhood years. However, behind this Ardeth could see more - a cunning shrewdness. Her eyes reflected a calm understanding, wise beyond any mortal. The pale shades of the wall outlined her body, which was garbed in a simple white dress. She was semi-transparent to Ardeth, however she would pulsate in and out of realism, showing her exterior qualities every moment or so. The white dress was fitting to her figure, lace decorating the edges, which were not frayed in the least. She seemed perfect. The only thing wrong with her was that she wasn't completely there at all - she was a spirit, a denizen of another world unknown to Ardeth.   
  
Hair the color of midnight tumbled down her back in a fountain of obsidian, a few rebellious strands framing her lovely face. Her complexion was pale, a stark contrast to her hair. Equally pale azure-blue eyes stared at the Med-jai, and her pale lips pursed in an amused expression, as if she had expected his arrival.  
  
Ardeth was afraid of the being that floated before him, though he knew in the back of his head that he had nothing to fear. Ardeth and the being looked into each other's eyes for a long time, the small smile on her lips never disappearing.   
  
"Welcome, young Ardeth Bay." The spirit spoke, however her lips didn't move. Words formed in Ardeth's head, echoing against the walls of his mind. Her voice was soothing and gentle, as if she was talking to a little boy.  
  
He could not ignore the lump that had formed in his throat; he forced it down with all his power, and choked out, "Hello."  
This made the spirit laugh. Her laugh echoed in his mind, haunting and powerful. The smile on her lips widened.  
  
"You have nothing to fear, Young Bay, I am not here to hurt you, I am here to warn you."  
"Warn me of what, My Lady."   
  
"My name is Des`demona, and I am the protector of all the Med-jai, and you and your brother are in danger. There is a group of men coming to kill you both."  
"Why?"   
  
"They are bounty hunters, looking for the price on Tarek's head."  
"How do you know this?" He said, looking the spirit.  
"I know all, young Bay, I know every life that interacts with your own. I know the future and I know the past. I know your thoughts and feelings travel to your sick wife, but they must stop. You must be alert and watch out for these men, they could mean the death of you and your brother."  
  
"My wife, she really…"  
"Yes, young Bay. What you saw was true."   
Ardeth gasped and looked away, shocked and horrified.   
"Young Bay, you must not let thoughts of your wife cloud your head. I know you are worried for her, but worry not, she will be ok. Concentrate on keeping yourself and your brother safe."  
"Yes, My Lady."   
  
"Wake up Med-jai!" He heard a scruffy voice form in the cave, and as he looked at Des`demona, she mouthed, "Protect him."   
And then, suddenly, the cave and the spirit disappeared from around him, and as he opened his eyes, Ardeth found himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun.   
  
~~  
"What the hell…" Ardeth managed to get out, before 2 large bodies pulled him to his feet.  
He found himself staring into the face of a tall man. He was about the same height as Ardeth, and seemed to have a nasty scar across his forehead, but other then that, Ardeth could not tell much about the man in the night.   
  
"To think, not only do we get the bounty on that scum's head, but we get the bragging rights that come with killing a sacred Med-jai." Abdul-Qadir said bitterly.   
"Who are you, and what do you want with us?" Ardeth said back, just as bitterly.   
"We just came to pick up our…investment." He indicated Tarek, who was being tied up and gagged by two large men.   
  
Ardeth's mind worked quickly. What did these men want…money…kings have lots of money…  
  
"How dare you treat the King of the Med-jai in such away!" Ardeth roared. This stopped everyone in his tracks, six pairs of wide eyes on him.   
"Well, well, well, we have a King amongst the two of you, do we? Witch one is it?"   
  
Tarek's eyes franticly tried to tell Ardeth no. He didn't pay any attention.   
"That man, who you are tying up right now. He is the King of my people."  
Tarek squeezed his eyes together tightly and cursed in his mind towards his stupid little brother.   
  
"King?! Scum like you can be king, eh? Well, well, I think our price just went up, eh boys?"  
"The Med-jai, we are a very rich people, and he means much to them. They can pay you triple what you would ask those who put a bounty on his head." Ardeth said, his mind going a million miles a minute. A large smile formed on Abdul-Qadir's face.   
  
"But, how will be get word to…your people?"   
"I will go inform them…"  
"HA! Like I would be that stupid to let you go on your own. No, we will all go, and you," he pointed a dirty finger into Ardeth's face. "will take us there." He turned to Tarek, who by now was flaming mad at Ardeth. "Looks like you get to live to see another sunrise…tie the other up."   
  
Ardeth struggled and tried to break away from the two large bodies, but the two who had tied up Tarek came and held him down, as his hands here tied behind his back, his feet were tied together, and a dirty gag was placed around his mouth. Then, they tied rope between Ardeth's and Tarek's hands and feet, making sure they were not going anywhere.   
  
~~  
If looks could kill, Tarek would have viciously murdered Ardeth. Here they were, captives of men who thought Ardeth would take them somewhere, and when they find out that they are not going to get a cent for either men from the Med-jai, they were going to kill both of the men. Ardeth gave his brother a 'Relax, I know what I'm doing' glance, but it did not reassure Tarek. All around them, the men gradually fell asleep, until it was just Ardeth and Tarek left awake. All the while, Ardeth had twisted his face and mouth around, until he was finally able to get his gag off.   
  
"Don't worry." He said in a low voice, "I will get us out of here."   
Tarek mumbled something that Ardeth took as, "What the hell are you thinking!"  
"I promise you, I will get us out of this. We are about ten miles away from the tenth tribe of the Med-jai, if I can get these fools anywhere close to the tenth tribe, we will be ok."  
More mumbling, taken as, "This better work, brother."  
"Don't worry, Tarek, I will not let those…things harm you. Trust me, we will get out of this."  
  
~~  
The next morning, their captors did not seem surprised that Ardeth had his gag off, in fact, they didn't even seem to notice it was off until they started to untie the two Med-jai from each other. Abdul-Qadir gave Ardeth a dirty look and cursed wildly.   
"What way Med-jai, and believe me, if you try anything, we will kill you both with out thinking."   
  
Ardeth, who had managed to get one of the men to tie his hands in front of his body, so that he could guide his horse, and to untie his feet, so that he might ride properly, glared at the man.   
  
"Do any of you speak English?" Ardeth said, in English. All the men, with the exception of Tarek looked at him like he was insane.   
"We do not know the pig's language." Abdul-Qadir said bitterly, in Arabic.  
"Good." Came the reply, Ardeth guided his horse next to his brothers and whispered, "Follow my lead." in English.  
  
Tarek just shot him a look and nodded slowly. Then, Ardeth guided his horse to the front of the group, always the Leader. And started off, leading the group of men right into the heart of the tenth tribe's privet valley. Ardeth knew that spotters and guards would see them five miles away from the actual city, and he played to Allah that they would stop them then. Not one Med-jai in the world would take such treatment of their king lightly, and the warriors from the tenth tribe were true and well trained. Ardeth did not lie when he said that the Med-jai would pay anything for their king, although he did lie about which man was king. With a silent laugh, Ardeth knew that these five men would not live to see sunset.   
  
~~  
It took them about two hours to reach the spot that Ardeth had first seen a Med-jai spotter. He knew that the others in the group, with the exception of Tarek, would not see the spotters along the way. He was grateful idiots were holding him.   
  
They rode for another two miles, until one of the spotters recognized Ardeth, their Chieftain. The young warrior sent a falcon to the chief of the tenth tribe, who read the words in a sudden anger.   
"Ardeth Bay comes to us with six other men, and he appears to be their captive."  
  
~~  
"Where is this town, Med-jai!" Abdul-Qadir roared.   
"We are coming up on it, be patient." Ardeth said. He began to see more and more spotters appear around them. With a quick look back at Tarek, he rode the small group on, bringing them closer and closer to the city of the tenth tribe of the Med-jai.   
  
And suddenly, a large black line appeared on the horizon, and with a sinking heart, Abdul-Qadir had realized the Med-jai had set them up.   
"DAMN YOU!" He roared towards Ardeth, "Be on the ready! We have been tricked!" He yelled towards his men. Abdul-Qadir pulled his gun out from under his shirt, and pointed it at Ardeth, but a different shot rang out, and the pistol was town from his hand. Qadir screamed in agony, and looking up, Ardeth saw a warrior on top a large dune, pointing a riffle at the small group. Soon, more Med-jai appeared around them, all pointing guns right at the six men who were not Ardeth Bay.   
  
"Retreat!" Qadir yelled as he grabbed the reins of Ardeth's horse. "Retreat!"  
  
Ardeth shot a look at his brother, and then threw himself off his horse, landing in the sand with a grunt. Tarek did the same, but it was harder for him to move, for his feet were still tied together. Ardeth got up in a flash and ran to his brother, covering him with his own body.   
"Get them!" Qadir yelled, as he guided his horse over to where the two Med-jai were. He jumped off his horse and pulled out a second gun.   
"That was a stupid move Med-jai." He said in a low voice, pointing the gun right at Ardeth's chest.   
"Not as stupid as attacking the king of the Med-jai." Ardeth said back, coldly.   
  
Qadir's four horsemen also jumped off their horses and ran to their leader. It was now a stand off, Ardeth, who was weapon less and had tied hands, against five men with guns. But Ardeth did not worry too much, for he had over 40 Med-jai warriors on his side, and if his captors made one wrong move, they would be taken down in an instant.   
  
"Give it up," Ardeth said, keeping himself between the men and his brother. "You will never get out of this alive."  
"And you think you will?" Qadir shot back.   
"You will not get to this man, you can kiss that bounty goodbye,"  
  
"I think not." Qadir raised his gun and was about to pull the trigger, when a battle cry priced the air and a sword came down, knocking the gun out of his hands. Ardeth took this time to grab his brother, who was standing, and run, half dragging the hopping man. They were quickly surrounded by a large group of horseback riding Med-jai. One warrior jumped off his horse and pulled out a dagger, cutting the ropes off Ardeth's hands and Tarek's hands and feet.   
  
"My lord, are you unhurt?" He asked, turning to Ardeth.   
"I am fine, Tarek?"  
"I to, am fine."  
The warrior smiled at them, and the sound of a scream made them all turn their heads, as a few men on horses moved away so Ardeth could see what was going on. Already, in the thirty seconds that Ardeth had his back turned, three of the men were killed, and the last two, Qadir and another, were being surrounded by Med-jai with scimitars in hand.   
  
"Do not kill the leader!" Ardeth yelled out, causing a few to turn and look at him. But his men listened to him.   
In a blaze of stupidity, the last warrior thought he could fight his way out of the Med-jai, but he was sadly wrong. Then, the Med-jai warriors turned their attention on Qadir, jumped him, and tied him up, gagging him tightly with the rope.   
  
The leader of the tenth tribe, Maahir Lutfi rode up to Ardeth and Tarek.   
"My lord," he said with a respectful bow. "I welcome you to my home, I only wish it was under different circumstances."  
  
"It is quite all right, my friend. I thank you for your help, had it not been for you, I fear we would have not gotten through it all alive."  
A fellow warrior came up with Ardeth and Tarek's horses; and handed them to their masters.   
  
They rode of towards the tenth Med-jai tribe in silence, as Qadir struggled and twisted, trying to get himself free. It did not take them long to get to the small city, and as they entered, many of the townsfolk came out to welcome their leader to their home.   
  
"I must apologize for not coming out this way often, I really should make it a point to come and visit my other tribes." Ardeth said as he dismounted. "I only stay in good contact with the second and third tribe, for they are so close to my own."  
"My lord, any visit from you makes this town happy."   
"Thank you, Maahir. I will keep that in mind always."  
  
Tarek had stayed silent for the whole ride back. He was banned from ever stepping foot in a Med-jai city, and he did not dare to defy that rule, so he stayed mounted on his horse.   
"Your friend, does he have a name? Does he even speak?" Maahir said.   
Ardeth knew the reaction he would get if he told them it was his brother sitting on the horse, but he did not care.   
  
"Maahir, this is my brother, Tarek Bay, and yes, he does speak."  
There was one, large, collective gasp from the group that stood around them.   
"My lord…your brother…he is not…"  
"He is my brother, and your rightful king. You will show him the same respect that you would show any other member of the royal family."  
"But...my lord…"  
"Do not fight me on this one, Maahir, I do not wish to argue about such issues at this time. Now, will you please show us a place where we might clean our self's up?"  
"Yes, my lord, right this way."  
  
They both turned towards Tarek, who looked at the two men. With a sigh, he dismounted, stepping on Med-jai land for the first time in twenty years. The brothers followed Maahir to the bathing section of the town, and showed them into the tents.   
  
"If you need anything else my…lords…just call. We will be happy to do whatever we can to help you…two." He quickly exited.   
"You did not have to do that." Tarek said as Maahir left.   
"You are my brother, and I was not going to let you just sit out there. Family does not allow that to happen."  
This was the first time since reuniting with Ardeth that Tarek had heard him even mention the fact that they were family. He smiled at his little brother.   
  
"Thank you Ardeth, for taking care of me out there. It is not often that the little brother saves the big brother's life. You really knew what you were doing."  
Ardeth smiled quickly. "I was making everything up as I went along, Tarek, I had no idea what I was doing out there. All I knew was that I had to get us both through that, alive."  
  
"What are you going to do with their leader?"  
"Make an example out of him, that no one messes with the Med-jai or the Bay Family."  
Tarek smiled at Ardeth again.   
"If only I can tell you how much this all means to me, Ardeth."  
"You don't have to."  
  
~~  
When Emily finally woke up the next day, she was hoping that all that had happened was a nightmare. But as she opened her eyes, and saw that she was in the bedroom she had fallen asleep in, her heart sank and her let out a soft cry.   
She had lost the baby.   
  
Looking around, she saw a large figure standing in the closet doorframe.   
"Ardeth?" She asked, sitting up quickly.   
A soft chuckle came out of the figure.   
  
"No, sorry love, its just me." Rick said, as he crossed to the bed and sat down next to Emily.  
"What time is it?"  
"About seven…at night."  
"I slept that long?"  
"None of us had the heart to wake you. How are you feeling?"  
  
With a sigh, she scooted back until she was sitting up against the headboard.   
"Horrible and weak."   
Rick reached over and turned on a soft bedside lamp.  
"Emily, I am so sorry about what happened." He took her hand in his. "I wish so much that it wouldn't have happened…but it did."  
  
"I know Rick, I know…I just wish I knew why I lost it…that child never even had a chance to…live." Her voice became soft and she could feel tears starting to form in her eyes.   
"I know…I know."  
Emily blinked away her tears and looked at her friend.   
  
"Where's Tom?"  
"He's out side playing with Alex, I believe." Emily nodded. "You know, Em, when Carol and Jonathan first got married, they were able to conceive a child…but in the sixth month of her pregnancy, she to had a miscarriage."  
"Then she knows what it is like to have to go through that…"  
"Yes, she does. If you need to talk to someone about it, she would be the best person."  
  
"I hardly know her…"  
"You hardly knew us once."  
"Yeah…once." She thought back to past, happier times. "So…why are you here?" She asked, looking into Rick's soft blue eyes.   
"What do you mean?"  
"Here…with me right now…"  
  
Rick chuckled. "Well, the way I look at it, is we American's have to stick together, because we are surrounded by the British and the Arabic. I mean, come on Emily, we are seriously out numbered here."   
Emily actually laughed. "Yeah, I guess we are. But you have it any other way?"  
"Never in a million years." He smiled at his friend. "You should eat, Emily, you will need your strength."  
  
"I know…but I don't think I could face everyone right now."  
"Then I will bring your diner up for you, bring Tom's to if you want…"  
"You want to eat with me, don't you?"  
"Would you mind the company?"  
"Not at all."  
  
"Ok." He took Emily's hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it softly. He dropped her hand and rose from the bed.   
"Rick…thank you."  
"Anytime."  
  
~~  
Ten minutes later, Rick lightly pushed the door open with his foot, and brought in a tray with two plates on it. Evy followed him carrying the same thing.   
"Hope you don't mine, Luv, but I had to join you." Evy said as she sat her tray down on a table.   
"Of course."   
Finally, Alex carried Tom in, and sat him down next to his mother on the bed.   
  
"Morning." Alex said with a smile.   
"Morning." Emily said back, a soft smile on her face.  
  
As Alex left, Evy handed Emily her plate of food, and then sat one of the trays in front of Tom, and placed a plate on it. Then she and Rick both took their plates and sat at the end of the bed.   
"Thank you for this, Evy, I don't think I could have gone down there."  
"Well, if we have to break the 'no food in the rooms' rule, I am happy it is for you."  
  
Emily smiled and looked at her food. Pasta. She weakly stuck her fork into the food and raised it to her mouth, taking her first bite. Everybody in the room was watching her.   
"Are you going to watch every bite I take?" She asked them once she swallowed.   
  
"Just making sure everything is ok for you, doll." Evy said with a smile.   
Emily ate a little more then turned to Tom, to make sure he was eating, he was, quietly. She smiled softly and ran a hand through his thick black hair.   
"How are you feeling?" Evy asked softly, taking a bite of her food.   
"Like…like I…" She sighed, "Like I failed somehow."  
  
"Oh, Emily, you mustn't think that."  
"I know…I know. But it is how I feel." She sat for a minute, "Has there been any word from Ardeth?"  
"No, Em, sorry." Rick said softly.   
Emily sighed. "Its ok, I am sure I will hear something from him soon."  
  
~~  
"Could you get a message to Cairo for me?" Ardeth asked as he walked through the Med-jai City with Maahir.   
"Yes, my lord, I could."  
"How long will it take?"  
"By falcon, a day."  
"Good, good. I want a letter delivered to my wife. The Med-jai in Cairo know where she will be."  
"My lord, if you give me the letter right now, it will reach your wife tomorrow."  
  
Ardeth reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out a letter, in the strange writing he and Emily used.   
"I trust this to get to her quickly. It is very important."  
"Yes, my lord."  
Ardeth sighed. "Maahir, we are equals in my eye, you don't have to address me as your lord. Ardeth would be just fine."  
"Yes…Ardeth."   
This caused the Med-jai chieftain to chuckle.   
  
"Tell me, how are the other tribes doing? I have not received word from them in quite some time."  
"The 11th and 12th tribes are just fine. Like us, here, life is rather boring. We have not had much action lately. How is life for your home tribe?"  
  
"Leisurely. Many have heard about the City of the Dead, but lately, few have come out to find it. We had some bandits try and take over one of our wells, but that has been it. The second and third tribe are doing very well, and I an afraid I have not heard from the others."  
"I do believe, Ardeth, that it about time all the commanders of the tribes get together. It has been far to long since I have seen any other members of the other tribes of the Med-jai. And I do wish to catch up on old times."  
  
"That is a wonderful idea, Maahir, and I agree with you. I believe it was…two and a half years ago since the twelve leaders have been together."  
"Yes, and that was such a sad event."  
"It was, and before that…why, it was when the Army of Anubis threaten us and the Creature had risen."  
Maahir nodded his head. "We always meet under such horrible circumstances. We should all get together, for once, under more pleasant ways."  
  
"I will have Ahmad look it all over and set a date. So be expecting some news from me soon."  
"Yes, my…Ardeth."   
Ardeth tilted his head up and looked at the stars, a smile on his face.   
"Maahir, my brother and I will leave in the morning, so I ask for a tent for us to use tonight."  
"Of course."  
"Thank you."   
  
Maahir walked off to deliver the letter to a messenger falcon, leaving Ardeth by himself. But he did not mind it, he was happy to be in the normal bustle of a Med-jai town. Oh, did he miss his wife, and how he wished he could be with her, to hold her and tell her everything would be all right. Damn thunderstorms, always bringing such pain and horror.   
  
"Thinking of Emily, Ardeth?" A voice came behind him, turning, he saw Tarek.   
"I guess you know me to well."   
"Of course I do, I am your brother."  
"Indeed you are."  
Tarek stepped up next to Ardeth and tipped his head back and looked at the stars as well. After a long minute, he spoke.   
  
"Tell me, how is Meelesh?" It was the first time he had asked of his younger sister.   
"Meelesh is fine. She and Ahmad married and have three very wonderful children. The oldest, Codei, is becoming a fine warrior. And Meelesh is the towns head doctor, and she is very good with her work. Saved my wife's life once."  
  
"Oh…I do miss her little smiling face. Does she…does she know about where you really are?"  
"Yes, she does. I am sure Ahmad told her." He looked over and saw the fear on Tarek's face. "Worry not, Tarek, I know she does not judge you."  
His brother smiled softly. "And your Emily, what does she know of me?"  
"She knows what Ahmad told her. So she does not know the whole story, but she will."  
Tarek nodded softly.   
  
"We leave in the morning, it will take us another two days to get to Damietta." Ardeth said softly, realizing he only had two days left with his brother. "We should rest now, it has been a long day."  
Maahir came back to Ardeth and showed them to their small tent, where both men collapsed in exhaustion.   
  
~~  
"Mommy…what happened to you yesterday?" Tom asked as he snuggled into his mother's arms.   
"Well…Tom…You know how I told you were going to be a brother?" Emily said through tears.   
"Yeah…"  
"Well…you see…something happened to the baby. And…"  
"Mommy?"  
"Tom…you see…the baby…died…. Inside me and…" She let out a soft sob.  
"I'm not going to be a brother?" Tom said softly, eyes wide at the sight of his mother's tears.   
"No, sweetie, not now."  
"Did it hurt you?"  
"Yes, doll, it did hurt me. It hurts me very much knowing I…lost the baby. It makes me very sad."  
Tom wrapped his tiny arms around his mother's neck and whispered, "You still have me, mommy, don't be sad."   
"I know Tom…I know I still have you."   



	6. Leaving Egypt.

Well...at least I was not killed with sticks, (As the great Eddie Izzard would say) about the baby. Kit...for you I will write a story where Jonathan and Carol do have a child. Or adopt one. Whatever. Ok? *Giggles* I am happy you like the story. It is close to the end now. K all? Well, I'm off. Enjoy. ~nmgs!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The next morning, as Ardeth and Tarek began to get ready to leave, Maahir came to them, followed by two warriors.   
"Ardeth, I ask that Hamza and Majid accompany you on the rest of your journey."  
"Maahir, I don't believe that will be…"  
"I insist, my lord, that these two go with you. In case of any more trouble."   
  
Ardeth sighed and looked at the two warriors, then at his brother.   
"All right, Maahir, I will take your men with me."  
"Thank you, that makes me feel much more safe."  
Ardeth and Tarek mounted their horses', and a young boy brought the other two Med-jai horses' of their own.   
  
"Maahir, I thank you for your help and hospitality. You have been too kind to my self and my brother. I hope I will see you again real soon."  
"Always, Ardeth. And if you are ever up this way again, my town is open to you and who ever you are with."  
Ardeth nodded and smiled. Tarek also thanked Maahir, and with that, the four men rode out of the town, leaving all the waving citizens behind them.   
  
~~  
They rode through the desert with ease, making great time through the day. And as where other days they rode, Ardeth and Tarek were silent, today they did nothing but talk. They talked about Emily, Meelesh, the O'Connell's. They laughed about Jonathan. Tarek told his brother about all the things that he had done over the twenty years they were apart. The other two Med-jai stayed silent, but listened at the stories that the brothers told each other. Some of them were rather outrageous, some were simple and sweet, and some were just plain out silly.   
  
~~  
"Carol?" Emily said as she made her way carefully down the stairs. "Can you help me make it down? I'm afraid I am going to fall."   
Carol, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs looked up and smiled, then hurried up to where Emily was, taking her arm.   
  
"Just go slow, it will take you a while to get your strength back." Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Carol asked, "Now where to?"  
"Um…How about the dining room? It must be nice and sunny in there."  
"Oh, yes it is." The two women walked through the kitchen and into the dining room. Carol pulled out a chair for Emily, and then sat down next to her. The room was bright and warm, and they had it all to themselves.   
  
"How are you feeling, Emily?" Carol asked.  
"Oh…All right I guess. I am still weak and a little sad, but I guess it goes with what happened."  
"Well, I know how you feel. After my…well…after it happened to me, it took me a while to get back into the swing of things."  
  
"I just want my husband to be here. I miss him so much…"  
"May I ask where he is?"  
"He is…helping an old friend. I don't know when he will be back, but I am praying that it is soon."  
  
"Of course you are. Now, your husband…he is an old friend of Jonathan and the O'Connell's, right?"  
"Yes, he is. The met…god…about sixteen years ago, I believe."  
"Around the time that Jonathan says that they had a run in with a mummy…"  
  
Emily giggled. "Yes, I do believe that is how they met."  
"So, you know the story?"  
"Yes, I do. Alex told me all about it."  
"And you believe it?"  
"You don't?"  
  
"Well, with all due respect, I don't think that mummies can just come back to life. It all seems a little…out there for me."  
Emily laughed some more. "Well, it may be hard to believe…but…I don't think they are making it up!"  
  
"But your husband…Ardeth, I believe, tell me about him."  
"He is…he is everything to me. Strong, powerful, loving. He is the sweetest man I have ever met in my whole life, and if it wasn't for him…I would be dead right now."  
"Oh, how sweet."  
"No, I'm serious, I would be dead, right now. That's how we met, he saved my life…a couple times. What about you? My lord, I would have never expected someone to marry Jonathan!"  
  
"Well…what can I say? I just fell head over heals for the ol'fool. It just seems so right, being with him. He was a wild one, once, but now he is more toned down. He loves just staying home at nights, with me, and sitting around, laughing, talking, having a good time."  
"Well, I am happy to hear that you both are happy."  
"Thank you."  
  
There was a long silence, each woman in her own mind, thinking about her husband.   
"Carol…I wanted to talk to you about your…um…"  
"About what we have in common?"  
"I guess you can put it that way, yes."  
"What do you want to know sweetheart?"  
"Just…if you felt like you failed at something. And how you got over that feeling."  
"Doll," Carol began, placing one hand over Emily's, "It is not easy to go through what we did…"  
The women talked for two hours, and at the end of it, both felt relieved to have talked to each other.   
  
~~  
"She's one hell of a catch, Jonathan." Emily said later, as she sat with Jonathan on the back porch, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze.  
"I know, Emily. I know…she is the best thing to ever happen to me."  
"How did you meet her?"  
  
"Well, like just about every other night I spent before I met her, drunk off my ass in a run-down London pub. It was about a week after we got back from Cairo and our adventure with Imhotep. So I was sitting at the bar, minding my own business…and these drunken blokes came after me for some money they claimed I owed them. And I didn't know who they were, so I told them as much. This didn't make them to happy, and they attacked me. Well, next thing I know, I wake up in this hospital, broken arm and a lot of bruises, and Evy is standing at my side…crying and cursing at me for my lifestyle. Luckily, the nurse came in and forced Evy out of the room, saying that I needed my rest. And the nurse was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. And that is how I met Carol, she was a nurse at the hospital. We became fast friends…and one day…one thing led to another...and there ya go, I'm a married man."  
  
Emily laughed. "I bet you rethought ever going back to that pub."  
"I haven't been back there since."  
"Well, I'm happy for you Jonathan. Your life seems to be picking up."  
Before Jonathan could respond, Alex came running out the back door, threw a letter into Emily's Lap, and ran back inside. Emily and Jonathan looked after him, puzzled.   
  
Picking up the letter, she saw it was from Ardeth, and it made her smile.  
"Whose it from?" Jonathan asked, looking at the strange writing.   
"Ardeth..." Emily said back as she opened the letter and began to read it.   
  
"Dearest Emily,   
I am so sorry that I am not there with you right now. Don't ask me how I know, but I know about what happened to our baby…and I am so sorry I was not at your side for that. I hate that I have not seen you in over a week. But I have to do this for Tarek. Right now, we are with the tenth tribe of the Med-jai, and we leave tomorrow morning for Damietta, it should take us another two days to get there. After that is all done, I will get to you as quickly as I can. I promise. I love you very much, and I am so sorry I am away from you. It is breaking my heart knowing what you must be going through with out me. I love you, and I will be coming home as quickly as I can. Your husband, Ardeth."  
  
Then, at the bottom, in different handwriting, and in English, there was a small note as well.   
  
"Emily, if Ardeth knew what I was doing he would kill me. Don't tell him I am writing you. I am Tarek, your brother-in-law. And I wish I could meet you. Ardeth talks about you so much it isn't even funny. He really cares about you. You seem so wonderful how Ardeth describes you, and you should see the sparkle in his eye when he talks about you. You are truly special to him, and I hope you know what a great guy my little brother is. I hope one day, in the future, I will get to meet this lovely woman who stole my brother's heart. I wish you all the luck under the stars. I must go before Ardeth gets back. Always, Tarek."  
  
Ardeth's note made her cry and Tarek's note made her laugh. She to wished she could meet this mysterious brother of Ardeth and Meelesh.  
"What did it say?" Jonathan asked.   
"Just a little note from my husband, telling me he loves me…and that he is coming home soon." She let out a sigh.   
  
~~  
Ardeth, Tarek, Hamza, and Majid covered many miles that day, and that night, as they sat around a small camp, Hamza explained to Ardeth how far they were from Damietta.  
"My lord, we will get there mid afternoon tomorrow." The young warrior said.   
"Good, good. We will have to stay over for the night, will we find a place to stay?'  
"Yes, like the Med-jai in Cairo, the Med-jai are well off in Damietta."  
"Also very good. Thank you, young warrior."  
The Med-jai bowed his head in respect, and then ran off to keep guard with Majid.   
  
"Well, brother, it looks like our time is coming to a close." Tarek said softly.   
"Do not worry, Tarek, we will keep in touch."  
"I know we will, but still…we have spent…what…a week together so far? I just wish we had more time."  
"I know you do, and I do to." Ardeth sat on his bedroll and laid back. "You should rest now, we have a big day tomorrow."  
  
~~  
The Med-jai made it to their town quicker then they thought. Reaching the port town of Damietta around noon the next day. As they neared it, though, both Ardeth and Tarek became rather quiet, knowing it would mean they would soon have to part.   
Majid found a place for them to stay that night, and a stable for their horses. Dismounting, Ardeth looked at his brother with sad eyes.   
"We are here, Tarek. Are you ready?"   
"No, I am not. But I am sure that does not make any bit of difference."  
  
Ardeth smiled. "Come, let us go get lunch, for I am very hungry." So the small group walked through town, to a tiny restaurant, where they ate a large meal. They all talked to each other, and enjoyed the company they were in. After lunch, they all returned to the small hotel where Tarek would spend his last night in Egypt.   
  
"I can't believe I am leaving tomorrow." Tarek said as he flopped back on his bed.   
"Nor can I." Ardeth sat down on his own bed, after removing his weapons.   
  
"Ardeth…I really need to know this before I leave tomorrow…how do you feel about me? How do you feel about that happened all those years ago?"  
"Tarek...I..."  
"Please, Brother, tell me."  
Ardeth sat and thought for a long time, then he finally spoke.   
  
"I hated you for years. I could not believe what you did…it seemed so unlike you. But you did it…and no one could have changed that. I was so angry at you for what you did…you had such a promising life ahead of you, and you screwed it up. I hated you for that. And then you left me to take over for you, pick up the pieces of our tribe as their new king, and I had no idea what I was doing. For such a long time…I had to struggle to get by as the king of these people. And you could never know how hard it was for me to do that. Especially after Imhotep!   
"But then…one day, I guess I just forgot about you and what you had done. I moved on with my life…and then there you were again…in my life. And all the feelings of hatred came back. But I don't hate you now. I was mad then…yes…but now I see that you are my brother, and you are just as human as I. And no matter what you have done, or will do, you will always be my brother. And I will always love you."   
  
Tarek looked at his brother with soft, sad eyes.   
"Ardeth, it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. You could never know how much it pleases me to hear that." He let out a sigh. "I can not tell you how proud of you I am. You are truly a fine king and a fine man. It is clear to me now, that the Med-jai need you to be their king. For I could never do what you have done. You have gone up against the Creature twice, and survived each time. You fought the dark Army of Anubis, and you beat them. I could have never done that. And maybe it was never clear to us twenty years ago, but I was never meant to be king, and you were.   
"My little brother, the finest king to ever rule over the Med-jai. I am proud of you Ardeth and I know Father and Mother were both just as proud."  
  
Ardeth smiled. "I am just doing my job."  
"Always the humble one." Tarek laughed. "Will you do me a favor, I have written a letter to Meelesh, and I want you to take it back with you."  
"Of course."   
"Thank you."  
  
~~  
That night, Ardeth and Tarek had a privet diner in their room. Then they stayed up talking into the early morning hours. Tarek finally drifted off to sleep, but Ardeth did not. He sat up for another hour and watched his older brother sleep. Sadness fell over him as he realized this was the last time he would see his brother sleep in a very long time. Finally, Ardeth to fell asleep. Dreaming of his wife and son.   
  
~~  
The next morning, Tarek and Ardeth silently packed up the few items they had on them. Tarek had signed his documents with his new name, and had them inside a pocket of his Med-jai robe. Soon, he would leave Egypt and the name, Tarek Bay for a long time. But in his heart, he knew he was coming back one day. Ardeth picked up his own few things, for he would leave town as soon as Tarek's boat left.   
  
"Is there an address that I can reach you at?" Tarek said, breaking the silence.   
"Yes, there is. Emily set up a PO box in Cairo so she could receive letters from her family. Here," Ardeth wrote the address on a small piece of paper. "It is checked every time we go into Cairo."   
"Thanks."  
"So, have you decide where you are going?"  
"There is war all over Europe, and I do not wish to get myself involved in. I think I might go west…explore other parts of the world."  
  
"As long as you stay out of trouble."  
"You know me."   
"I know, and I don't want to have to leave my family again to go save your ass."   
Tarek laughed. "Well, the next time, you can bring them with you."  
It was Ardeth's turn to laugh, but he stopped when he looked at a clock. "Your boat leaves in an hour…" He said softly.   
  
"So, it does. Shall we? I have something I would like to do." He grabbed Ardeth's wrist and started to pull him towards the door.   
"Wait...Tarek...your things…" Ardeth protested as he was pulled out the door.   
"Relax, we are coming back. I saw something I wanted to do last night, so come on."  
Tarek pulled Ardeth out of the small hotel and across the street, into a photography store.  
  
"Do you take pictures?" He asked the old woman behind the counter.   
"Yes, Sir, we do."  
"How long would we have to wait for them to be developed?"  
"About half an hour."  
"That quickly? Great, where do we start?"  
"Right this way, Sir."   
  
Tarek pulled Ardeth after the old woman.   
"What are you doing?" Ardeth asked, nearly tripping over a box.   
"Do you really think I am going to let this all pass with out something to remember it by?"  
Ardeth sighed as Tarek pushed him in front of a camera that the old woman was sitting up.  
"We would like two, please." Tarek told the woman.   
  
"Yes Sir. Of course." The woman finished setting up the camera and told Ardeth and Tarek how to stand. She had them stand next to each other, and have them slightly facing the other. She pulled the camera back a little, so that she could get their weapons, but still have the tattoos on their faces' show up in the photo. She counted to three and took the picture, and then she sat up the flash in the camera again, and took another picture.   
  
"There, if you come back in thirty minutes, I will have the pictures for you." She said as they made their way back to the front of the store.   
"And how much do we owe you for them?" Ardeth asked.   
"They are free of charge for the Med-jai." The old woman flashed a thin smile.   
"Thank you, Ma'am, that is very kind." Ardeth said, flashing her one of his bright smiles.   
  
~~  
Thirty minutes later, Ardeth and Tarek walked back into the shop and picked up their pictures. Both were happy for they turned out very well. In both, the brothers stood tall and strong, small smiles on their lips.   
"May I have this one?" Tarek asked, picking up one of the pictures.   
"Of course." Ardeth said with a smile. Then, together, they walked to the docks of the port town. Both their hearts sank a little bit as they found the boat that would take Tarek away from Egypt.   
  
"Well…here I am. This is where I am supposed to go." Tarek said softly.  
"Indeed it is." Ardeth said sadly.   
"Don't feel bad, brother, this is the way it is to be. But now, I have ways of keeping in touch with you. And a picture of you so that I will never forget your face."  
  
Ardeth chuckled. "And the same goes for me. You promise that you will write me as soon as you settle down?"  
"Yes. I will write you often, Ardeth."  
"You better."  
They stood in silence for a few seconds, then a load voice yelled, "ALL ABROAD!"   
  
Tarek looked at Ardeth with sad eyes, but then he smiled and reached out, hugging his brother.   
"Good bye for now, Brother. I will see you again." He said softly. "Now you go back to your wife and family. And give them my love."  
"I will, Brother. I will." Ardeth looked into Tarek's face as the hug broke. "Goodbye Tarek, I will be awaiting the next time I see you."  
"Like wise." Tarek picked up the one small suitcase he had with him. "Thank you for all your help Ardeth."  
  
"Always." They hugged one last time, and then Tarek made his was to the ship, walking up the ramp to the deck. Ardeth's heart sunk a little lower as he got one last good look at his brother. Tarek stood tall and stood out in the crowd on the ship. Dressed in clean traditional Med-jai robes, turban wrapped around his head, tattoos showing bright on his face, after being covered up for twenty years. Both Ardeth and Tarek felt that they could be worn with pride now, and they were.   
Tarek made his was to the railing of the ship, found Ardeth in the crowd of people on the dock, and waved to him. Giving him a reassuring smile and head nod.   
  
Then, he did something that shocked Ardeth. He touched his heart with one open palm, and then waved it, in ritualistic fashion, toward the sky.   
"Harum Bara shad!" He said to Ardeth.   
With a smile on his face, the Chieftain of the Med-jai made the same ceremonial sign, and said back, "Harum Bara shad!"   
  
And with that, Tarek disappeared in the crowd of people on deck of the boat. Ardeth stood where he was until the boat pulled away from the port, then, with a sigh, turned back and forced his way through the crowds, but he did not get very far.   
  
"My Lord!" He heard a young voice yell out, turning; he saw Hamza and Majid coming at him, guiding his horse behind them.   
"What is it?" Ardeth asked as he took the reins of his horse.   
"We thought you would prefer going back to Cairo by boat. It would only take about three days, compared to the six days it would take by horse."  
Ardeth smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, I would prefer it."  
"Good, we booked you on the next boat out, and you will be able to take your steed."   
  
The young warriors gave him the information Ardeth needed and walked him to his own ship. The boat was leaving right away, so Ardeth said goodbye to the Med-jai and boarded the shop, as a young boy took his horse to the stable on board.   
  
Ardeth went right to his small room and fell back on the bed. After a few minutes, the boat began to move. Ardeth knew it would make many stops along the Nile to pick up more passengers. He did not mind it though, he was happy to be going home.   



	7. Such funny ways of travel the world had.

A simple chapter. I had fun writing the bit about Ardeth and travel. I really want to write TM & TMR from Ardeth's point of view, but I have to get both movies first. *Picks up phone* Time to call Jessica.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I think we should leave tomorrow." Emily told Meelesh the next morning.   
"Are you sure?" Her sister-in-law asked, "Do you feel strong enough?"  
"Yes, I do. I want to go back in case Ardeth gets there…"  
"All right, but we leave tomorrow. You should really rest one more day."   
For the past two days, that was all that Emily was doing, resting, but she knew she had to. She had spent a lot of time talking with the O'Connell's and the Carnahan's, and Tom spent much time playing with Alex.   
  
Emily sighed and began her way into the kitchen for breakfast, finding Evy, Rick, and Jonathan already there, sipping their coffee.  
"Morning all." She said as she crossed to the coffeepot.   
"Morning Emily." She heard the three say.   
  
"How are you feeling dear?" Evy asked.  
"Better, much better." Emily fixed her cup and made her way to the table. "Um, I have some sad news, we are going to leave tomorrow."  
"Oh! Why?" Evy said, her eyes wide.   
"I want to be there for when Ardeth gets back…"  
"Well, we will miss you Em." Rick said as he stood and went after the coffeepot.   
"Don't worry, I will come back soon and bring Ardeth with me. But…I have a feeling he will be coming back soon and I want to be at home when he does."  
"We understand." Jonathan said softly.   
  
Emily sighed and took a sip of her coffee. Soon, Meelesh, Carol, Tom, and Alex joined them in the kitchen, and they all sat down and had breakfast, talking and laughing.   
  
Later that day, as Emily packed her and Tom's things, Alex popped in the room and pounced down on the bed.   
"So, you're really going to leave tomorrow?"  
"Sadly, I am."  
  
Alex pouted. "I'm going to miss you and little Tom."  
"Oh, don't worry Love, like I told your parents, I will come back with Ardeth. And who knows, maybe you can come out to be with us. You know you are always welcome."  
"Yeah, I know. But I am still going to miss you. For once I wasn't the youngest one in the house!"  
Emily chuckled.   
  
"Emily…what are you going to tell Ardeth?" Alex asked softly.   
"Ardeth…for some strange reason, Ardeth knows what happened." Emily said, sitting next to Alex on the bed.   
"How does he know?"  
"I don't know. He just does. It is kinda like this scar," she opened her right hand and showed Alex the long scar on her palm, "Don't really know how it got there, but its there, so I don't ask questions."  
"You got that when you and Ardeth first met, didn't you?"  
"Yes, I did."  
  
"Yeah, I remember you telling me about your dream. Freaky stuff."  
"Oh, its not half as bad as the freaky things you have seen."  
"True, but it is still strange."  
Emily rubbed her hand through his hair.   
  
~~  
They all ate diner outside that night, enjoying the cool night air. They laughed and talked and sat around the table for hours. Tom took Alex off and played hide and seek with him in the garden, after a while, Carol and Jonathan joined them. Leaving Evy, Rick, Meelesh, and Emily to sit and talk.   
  
"Reminds me of the first time I was here." Emily said softly as Jonathan and Alex argued about whom was 'It'.   
"Yeah, I remember that day. I never got to thank you for saving my wife." Rick said softly, so that only Emily could hear. Meelesh and Evy were off in another conversation.   
"The way I looked at it, was she had a family, and you needed her more then me."  
"Still, you gave up yourself for her safety, that means a lot to me."  
Emily smiled; she didn't know how to respond to that. So she just placed her hand on Rick's and gave it a little squeeze, think back to that night.   
  
~~  
"One girl for the other. We haven't got all night!" Sabooru cried.   
Emily looked softly at Ardeth. "No…" He said.  
"I have to do this. Evy has a family, they need her…I have to do this."  
~~  
  
More arguing from Alex and Jonathan pulled her from the memory. She laughed and stood up.   
"Excuse me, dear friends, but I have a game to play." Emily walked out into the garden and joined the game.  
  
~~  
The first day and a half on the boat, Ardeth stayed in his cabin, resting after the weeklong trip he took with Tarek. And although the cot he had slept on in the Med-jai City was nice, it was nothing compared to the soft bed he had in his small room. But on the afternoon of the first full day, Ardeth finally came out and walked around the deck of the ship. He checked on his horse, which also seemed happy to be able to rest. Ardeth walked to the railing and looked out as the sands of Egypt passed him by. He sighed and thought about his beautiful wife, where she was, and what she was doing. He would be whole again when he could feel her in his arms.   
  
He let out another sigh and stayed where he was for a long time, thinking about the events of the past week. He had regained a brother, but had lost a child. Maybe that was how life really worked out, you couldn't have both at the same time. Or maybe it was just how his life worked out. He had already been blessed with Emily and Tom, maybe that was all he got. But even if that were true, he would be happy. Tom and Emily meant the world to him. And if he only got them, it would be perfect.   
  
Ardeth's stomach growled at him, making him realize just how hungry he really was. As he entered the small dining room on the boat, he held open the door for two British women who looked at him like he was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. And as they passed, they bust into giggles. He laughed in spite of himself, things like that always happened to him and Ahmad when they went out. Woman would stare at them, whisper at each other, and giggle. If only those women knew both Med-jai were happily married.   
  
Ardeth had a small diner, and then returned to the deck of the ship, where he sat in a chair and stared up at the sky. Such funny ways of travel the world had. Boats, cars, trains, planes, that…thing he had ridden on with the O'Connell's, Jonathan, and Izzy. That thought lead to another. How come every time he got into the air with Rick O'Connell, he went crashing to the ground? Granted, the second time was a little bit better, because that wall of water had cushioned the fall for the…flying boat and it's passengers. The first time was a little fun, flying through the air like a bird…the wind in his face and hair. Although he did not feel safe at all, being strapped to the wing of the thing. He could still hear O'Connell say,   
  
"Relax, it will be a safe trip. Nothing will happen."   
  
Yeah, nothing would happen. Except for a huge wall of sand coming at them, forcing them to crash. What an experience he had to face, four years into his kingship. But he got through it, and had become close friends with the three foreigners. He would have never of thought, back then, that he would end up saving the world with them once more, or that they would help save his future wife from madmen. Then again, when he first took the thrown, he never would have thought the Creature would have been brought back.   
  
The giggling British women walked past him then, bringing Ardeth back to reality. They looked at him, giggled, and began to whisper to each other. So Ardeth nodded his head towards the women, flashed them a smile, and left, not wanting to put up with their constant giggles.   
  
Ardeth feel asleep with ease that night, entering his own personal dreamland filled with images of Emily and Tom.   
  
~~  
"We will miss you." Evy said as she hugged Emily in the early morning.   
"I will miss you as well, but I am coming back soon."  
"You better," Rick said as she turned to hug him. "Because I would hate having to still be the only American here."   
Emily laughed. "At least they speak your native language, I am the one who has to talk like the Med-jai."  
  
Jonathan and Carol both hugged Emily as Meelesh hugged Rick and Evy. Alex and Tom stood off to the side, watching on silently. The six Med-jai bodyguards were getting the horses ready for the day and a half ride. Finally, the large group turned its attention towards Alex and Tom.   
  
"I am going to miss your presence." Emily told Alex as they hugged. "Thank you so much for taking care of Tom, I can tell he really cares for you."  
"Your welcome, he is a fine boy and I was happy to do it. And I too will miss both your presence's."  
  
"Hey!" Meelesh said as she stepped in for a quick hug. "Am I going to be missed at all?"  
"Of course!" Alex said back with a smile. "I will miss you more then all of them put together!"  
"Just like you father." Meelesh said, shaking her head.   
"Just like your brother." Alex shot back with a smile. The doctor laughed.   
  
The two women mounted their horses, and Alex handed Tom up to Emily.   
"Thank you all so much for everything, you are too kind, really." Emily said. "I will see you again soon."   
Then, the group of horses thundered out of the driveway and down the street, on its way out of Cairo.   
  
Evy sighed as Rick placed an arm around her shoulder. "Well, I guess that is that."  
"Yeah, I guess it is." Rick said as he kissed his wife's temple. They all walked back inside, ready for breakfast and a new day.   
  
~~   
Nothing of any interest happened for Ardeth of Emily over the next two days. The ride through the desert had been quiet and peaceful. And the trip down the Nile was just the same. As more passengers got on the boat, Ardeth just stayed in his cabin. Luckily, the giggling Brits got off at one stop, leaving him in peace.   
  
It was early in the afternoon when Emily, Meelesh, Tom, and the Med-jai got back to their city. Everyone in town rushing out to greet their royal family as they returned home. Ahmad grabbed his wife and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. And when he was done, her three children attacked her, knocking her to the ground with their hugs.   
"Any word?" Emily asked as she gave Ahmad a quick hug.   
"No, we have not heard from Ardeth in several days."   
Emily nodded. Holding Tom, she was able to duck away from the large crowd of people, and she entered her house with a sigh. God, she was happy to be home. Entering her bedroom, she saw that someone had stripped the sheets off her bed. They, like the sheets in the guestroom, and everyone's clothes, had been burned. But sitting on top of the bed was a new pair of sheets, and she was happy they had given them new ones.   



	8. A five day old beard

Warning girls...there's a shower scene in this chapter. And though there is nothing dirty, I know all of you can see it in your head. But there's nothing wrong with that! Haha. Of..to be a fly on that wall, eh? *Slaps self* Wha...? Oh...yeah. Enjoy, try not and let it get to ya TO much. Lord knows it would be a nice thing to see. ;)  
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It was around dusk when the ship pulled into Cairo. Ardeth's heart leapt with joy as the familiar city got bigger and bigger. He almost couldn't wait for the ship to dock safely; he just wanted off that blasted ship. If he left tonight, he would reach his home sometime in the next night. But what if Emily was still at the O'Connell's? He would check there first.   
  
Ardeth thanked the young boy that brought his horse out of the stable, and gave him a small tip. He was the first off the boat, and once he was on the street, he mounted his horse and rode off towards the O'Connell home, making it to their house in record time. If Emily was there, he did not want to waist anymore time away from her. Luckily, the gate was open and he rode right up to the front porch. He jumped off the horse and left it in the front yard. He ran up the front steps and knocked on the door, a lump forming in his throat.   
  
"Ardeth? Oh my god, what are you doing here?" Evy said as she opened the door and saw who was behind it.   
"Emily…is she here?"   
"Come on in," Evy stepped aside as the Med-jai entered the house.   
"Emily, is she here?"  
"Sorry, ol' buddy." Rick said as he walked down the stairs. "She left yesterday morning."   
  
Ardeth let out a disappointed sigh and looked at his friends.   
"Is she…all right?"   
"Well, it was hard for her…but she is ok know." Evy said puzzled. "How did you know?"  
"I just knew…" Ardeth said. His hand rose to his turban and he pulled it off.   
  
"Ardeth, why don't you stay here for the night, then start home first thing in the morning."  
"I am afraid I can not, Evy, I want to get home as quickly as I can."  
"There is no discussion about it, you are staying here tonight." Evy was being motherly again.   
"With all due respect, I want to…"  
"I don't care what you want, you are not leaving. You will stay here, have diner with us, shower, shave, and sleep. God only knows how much sleep you truly got over the past week."  
  
The Med-jai sighed. "As you wish."  
"Good, diner will be ready in about 45 minutes, you should take that time to clean yourself up." Evy walked off into the kitchen. And Ardeth shot a look at Rick.   
  
"What?" The American said, "I'm not gonna argue with her, I've learned that lesson. But she is right, you really need to shave…unless you are growing a bigger beard."   
  
Ardeth touched his cheek, feeling the bread that had grown over the past five days. Luckily, he was able to shave when he was with the tenth tribe, but a thick beard had appeared on his face. His facial hair grew thick and quickly.   
  
"Come on, I will show you the bathroom up stairs," Rick said as he climbed the stairs. "We won't be using the shower down here."  
With another sigh, Ardeth followed.   
  
~~  
The shower felt better then anything, nothing felt better then washing the five-day buildup of dirt and sand on his body. He scrubbed himself clean and washed his thick black hair, even adding conditioner to his hair. When he got out of the shower, Ardeth attacked the beard on his face, shaving away all the access hair, and trimming his already existing one.  
  
When he looked at himself in the mirror, he looked and felt like a new man. Suddenly, though, he realized he had nothing to wear but his dirty old Med-jai robes, but the answer to his problem came quickly.   
"Hey, you might need to borrow some of my clothes." Rick said, knocking on the door. "Should fit you and if ya give my your robes, I'll have them washed."  
  
Ardeth, who had a towel wrapped around his waist, opened the door part way and stuck his arm out, in his hand the pile Med-jai clothing. Rick took them and handed Ardeth a pair of slacks and a button up shirt.   
  
"Thank you, my friend." Ardeth said through the door.   
"Any time, dinner is in ten minutes."   
Ardeth looked at the clothes, a simple pair of black slacks, and a simple black collared shirt. At least they were black and kept with the mysterious Med-jai way. He dressed quickly, and the clothes fit fine, and then ran a brush through his slightly damp hair. Then he cleaned up a bit before exiting the bathroom, running into Jonathan in the hall.   
  
"Ardeth! Ol' boy, did expect to see you here…in our bathroom…"  
"Hello Jonathan." They shook hands, "What a pleasure it is to see you again."   
"It is nice, isn't it. Tell me, how's life for a Med-jai?" They made their way down the stairs together.   
"Life for me and my people has been just fine. How about you? I trust you are well."  
"Well and good, ol' friend. All is well and good."  
  
"Uncle John!" They heard Alex yell from up stairs. "Diner ready yet?"  
"Just about! Alex! Come down here for a sec!"  
"K!" Then, at the top of the stairs, a tall blond-headed boy appeared. "What's…" He took one look at Ardeth and his face busted into a large, unmistakable smile.   
  
Ardeth's mouth had dropped open and his eyes were wide. It was like someone took Alex's voice and smile and stuck it on…someone else!  
"Ardeth!" Alex exclaimed and he bounced down the stairs.   
"Alex?" Ardeth gout out in a low gasp. The boy was taller then he was!   
"One in the same!" Alex grabbed Ardeth's hand and shook it in a firm handshake.   
  
"No…this cant be the little…this isn't Alex."  
"Emily said just about the same thing!" The boy said happily.   
"Allah be merciful, Alex O'Connell has become a man…"  
"Not yet, he hasn't." Evy said, joining them. "And not for a long time, I hope. It is hard enough having him be so much taller then me."  
  
"Five years ago…I could have picked you up and thrown you across town!" Ardeth said, still in shock.   
"Now, you couldn't even get him off the ground!"  
Ardeth smiled. "I still could."   
"Wanna bet?" Alex said.   
"Don't make bets with him dear, he likes the stakes high." Evy said, shooting a look towards the Med-jai.   
  
"And he always loses them!" Rick called from the kitchen doorway, "Dinner is ready in five, come all, sit down."   
They all made their way to the dining room and Jonathan was saying, "We get one Bay out of the house, we get another Bay the next day! My word man, what's next, your brother is going to come visit us?"  
"It would not surprise me if he did." Ardeth said as he sat down.   
"I thought your brother was dead." Rick said as he took the head seat at the table.   
  
"My friends, did Emily tell you where I was for this past week and a half?"  
"She said you were helping an old friend." Evy said.   
"I was helping my brother, you see, he is not dead…he is just…"   
  
"Sorry I'm late, you know how I love the dusk…" An unfamiliar British female voice interrupted him mid-sentence. A bubbly blond bounced into the room with a smile on her face, blue eyes flashing.   
Every one turned and looked at the girl as she popped into the room.   
"Oh, I did not realize we had company…" She said, crossing to the table.   
  
Everyone at the table stood as she walked up, Ardeth eyes stuck on the blond.   
"OH!" Evy cried, "Carol, this is Ardeth Bay, Emily's husband and an old friend of ours. Ardeth, this is Carol Carnahan…"  
"My wife." Jonathan said with a smile.   
  
Ardeth took her hand and shook it gently. "A pleasure, Mrs. Carnahan."  
"Carol, please. And it is also a pleasure, Ardeth, I have heard much about you."  
"I am sure you have."   
Carol moved to her spot next to Jonathan and sat down, every one else sat back down as well.   
  
"I hope I did not keep you waiting," She said softly.  
"Not at all, we had just sat down our selves." Evy said as Maria and Charlie brought the food to the table and said a quick hello to Ardeth.   
  
They all ate, talked, and laughed. Ardeth was delighted to be sitting with his friends, and glad he has stayed. But he knew he had to leave first thing in the morning to get back to Emily. When diner was over, Evy and Carol got up to help with the dishes, leaving the four males to sit and look at each other.  
  
"You were saying something about your brother…" Rick said, looking at Ardeth.   
"Oh, yes. Well, my brother had just…come back into my life after twenty years and asked for my help. And I knew I could not turn him away, so I rode with him to Damietta."  
  
"Damietta?" Alex said, "That's almost a hundred miles away!"  
"Give or take a few, yes."  
"Wow…all that for your brother."  
"Well…he is blood. I could not turn him away."  
"So why did you tell us he was dead?" Rick asked.   
  
Ardeth smiled softly. "I will tell you one day, O'Connell. One day when I have a lot of time, but if you excuse me, I am going to help Evy and Carol clean up." He stood up.   
"I'll come with you." Alex said, standing.   
The two left into the kitchen.   
  
~~  
Ardeth slept well that night, in the upstairs guestroom. Evy told him they had not washed the sheets yet, so the whole bed smelled like his wife. His dreams were pleasant, and he woke up feeling refreshed. He had a long ride ahead of him, and wanted to get as far as he could before stopping for the night.   
  
"I promise you, I will come back soon." Ardeth said as he gave Evy a quick hug. "Thank you for…forcing me to stay here last night. It was most enjoyable."  
"Always, Ardeth. You take care now, get home to that wife of yours quickly. But not to quickly, you don't want to kill that poor horse of yours. And eat plenty of food and get a lot of rest, you will need it you know."  
  
"Evy, you're being a little to motherly, let the desert warrior do his own thing." Rick said, shaking Ardeth's hand.   
"I do not mind it at all, Evy. It makes me smile."  
"Good."   
Ardeth turned and shook Alex's hand, giving him a bright smile.   
"I am happy to see my little warrior all grown up. Whenever you can, come out to my town, and I will teach you more ways of a Med-jai."  
  
"That will be great." Alex said, half asleep. It was just after five in the morning, and the sun was just wasn't even peaking over the horizon.   
"You will tell Jonathan and Carol good bye for me and send them my apologies for not seeing them this morning." Ardeth said as he mounted his horse.   
  
"Of course we will Ardeth. Be safe and have a good ride." Rick said. Ardeth smiled at them, and bowed his head in respect.  
"My friends…until another day." With that, he rode off into the early morning, leaving the O'Connell's waving in their front yard.   
  
~~  
For two days, Ardeth rode through the bleak desert alone. The silence was eerie, so he hummed softly to himself.   
  
~~  
And for two days, Emily waited impatiently for any word that Ardeth was coming back to her. She stayed in her house a lot, for she did not have the strength or will power to go out and join the city again.   
Then, finally, Ardeth saw his first Med-jai spotter, in the late afternoon on his second day. He was close to home. He knew he would reach his town in under and hour if he went at a slow pace, but he could not wait to see his wife. So he hurried his horse along as quickly as it could go.  



	9. Coming home to you

Right, last chapter. I am happy you all have liked it so far. I dont know if I am really going to write more Ardeth/Emily stories, I still got some in my head. But I am about to start on a this great idea that popped into my head the other day. It will explain at the bottom.   
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Emily stood in her empty home at dusk, staring blindly out the window at the city around her. Tom was with Meelesh, and Emily's heart was broken for her missing husband. How she longed to feel his skin against hers.   
  
"THE KING! HE RETURNS!" The shout priced the air, causing Emily to look around for the source of the words. The people of the city began to rush to the city entrance. Emily ran to her door and pulled it open. A young warrior stopped mid-run and looked at her, smile on his face.   
  
"The king, your husband, he returns!" He said and took off again. That was all Emily had to hear, she rushed out of her house and ran as fast as she could to the front of her city.   
  
Twenty yards away, she watched as her beautiful husband dismounted from his obsidian steed with liquid grace. He took a step forward, his hand rising to remove his turban, when his scanning eyes fell on her.   
  
Ardeth watched as his wife stared into his face, her heart racing, her mind screaming something at her, her eyes wide. Even from far away, Ardeth could see the tears form in her eyes. His tribe stood silent, watching to see what their queen and king would do.   
  
Emily took off running, fast as she could, towards Ardeth. His turban fell out of his hands and he took two more steps forward. She ran up to him, jumping into his waiting and open arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close to her. Ardeth's own arms wrapped around her back tightly. The force of which she fit him caused them to spin a little bit, but they steadied themselves.   
  
She nuzzled her face into the hollow between his neck and shoulder and breathed him in deeply. He did the same thing on her, remembering just how good she smelled, and kissing her neck softly. Such public displays of affection were uncommon and frowned upon in the Med-jai society, but no one dared to disturb them.   
  
"I am so happy to be holding you in my arms again." He said softly, his voice a great and welcomed sound in her ear.   
"Likewise." She said back, lifting her head and looking at him in the eyes. She leaned in and planted her lips on his fully, locking them on in a deep kiss. He welcomed the kiss he had been waiting to receive for almost two weeks. Suddenly, they were the only two people in the whole world.   
  
When the kiss broke, Emily's face lit up in a huge smile. Her eyes soft and happy to be looking at her husband after all this horrible time. She kissed him again, this one more subtle.   
"You better shave soon." She said in a low voice, running a hand through his hair.   
"If only you knew how much I dreamt of this very moment." Ardeth said back, looking at his wife with all the love in the world in his eyes.   
Emily returned her head to its place on his shoulder.   
  
"Don't you ever leave me again Ardeth. EVER." She said, holding him a little tighter.   
"I wont."   
They stood in each other's arms for a few more moments, until a load voice tore through the silence.   
  
"DADDY!"   
Emily giggled and stepped to the side letting only one arm drop from her hold on Ardeth. She had good timing to, for the second she stepped back; a little four-year-old missile flew into Ardeth's arms.  
Tom embraced his father's neck tightly, taking his mother's place, and Ardeth took Emily in to one arm and held Tom up with the other. The small family held each other tightly and the crowd who was watching went wild. Cheering with joy, for their royal family was now back together again.   
  
Ardeth took Tom into his arms and kissed Emily softly.   
"My people!" He cried out in joy. "I have returned to my home!"  
The crowd went wild. Taking his arm, Emily walked off with Ardeth and Tom, all smiles.   
  
~~  
The impromptu celebration was still going on when Emily and Ardeth retreated with a sleeping Tom, back to their home.   
Ardeth stepped into the small house and breathed in deeply. He was home. Emily carried Tom to his room and laid him on the bed gently, covering him with his blanket. He stirred but did not waken.   
When Emily returned to her husband, she found him standing in the living room, sighing deeply.   
  
"Happy to be home?" She asked, walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist.   
"I am happy to be with you, for you are my home." Ardeth said back, turning around and embracing her. "Emily, if I could make up for these past two weeks, believe me, I would."  
  
"I know, and I am sure they would be wonderful. But we can not change them, so let's focus on right now." She kissed him softly.   
"I agree." He took her hand and led her to their room, pushing the open with his foot.   
  
"Ardeth…after what happened…I cant…not yet." Emily said softly.   
"I know, my love, I know. I just want to, for once in such a long time, fall asleep with you in my arms."   
"That I can do." She kissed him again, then began to take her clothing. Ardeth expected her to grab the normal tank top she slept in, but she did not. She just laid down on the bed.   
  
"Wha…?" Ardeth said, looking at her puzzled.   
"I just don't want anything to be between us." She said softly.   
Ardeth smiled and joined her in the covers. Lying on his back, Emily rolled over and draped an arm across Ardeth's shoulders, half-lying on his chest. He placed his arms around her and held her gently, kissing the top of her head.   
  
They laid in silence for a while, just enjoying being next to one another.   
"Ardeth…" She said finally breaking the silence. "How did you know about…"  
"I had a dream…and I knew it was real."  
Emily nodded her head softly. "I'm happy your back here with me, life with out you is hell."   
"I feel the same way, my love."   
Emily raised her head and kissed him deeply, enjoying the taste of his lips.   
  
"Thank you for coming home to me." She said softly, looking into his deep brown eyes.  
"Like I said, you are my home. You are where my heart is." They kissed again, and then Emily returned her head to his chest, yawning softly. Soon, they both fell asleep, happy in each other's arms.   
  
~~  
When Ardeth awoke the next morning, he was overjoyed to see Emily still in his arms. In the exact position they had fallen asleep in. He watched her sleep for a few minutes, a content smile on his lips. Finally, he kissed her forehead softly. She smiled in her sleep and snuggled in closer to him.   
  
Then her eyes snapped open, and with a gasp she pushed herself up, staring into his face with wide eyes.   
"Emily…what is it?" Ardeth asked as she slowly reached out, touching the skin on his face.   
"Emily…?"  
  
A smile made it's way across her face as she let out a relived sigh.   
"I was just worried that it had all been a dream, that's all."   
Ardeth chuckled as he pulled her in close to him, kissing her deeply.   
"It was not a dream, my love, I am sure of that." He held her tightly against him, lightly running his fingertips over the bare skin on her back. They stayed like that for a long time, enjoying the weight and feel of the other.   
  
"So, what are we going to do today?" Emily asked softly.   
"I am going to spend ever waking second with you and Tom, and no one is going to change that." Ardeth responded.   
They were silent a little while longer, until Emily asked, "Do you think I am going to be able to have…other children?"  
  
Ardeth squeezed her softly and sighed. "I hope so, but if not, it will be fine with me. I have already been blessed with you and Tom, I couldn't be more happy with just that." He felt her smile.   
  
Emily scooted her head next to his on the pillows, and they stared into each other's eyes for a long time. Until Tom came bouncing into their room, landing on his father's chest with a giggle.   
  
"Morning Tom." Emily said as she pulled the sheet over herself.   
"Morning Mommy! Morning Daddy!"  
"Good Morning, my son. What can I do for you?"  
"It is already late in the morning, come on! It's time to get up! So we can play!"  
  
"Ok, Doll, but give us a few more privet minutes to get ready, then we will be right out. Ok?" Emily said, running her fingers through his hair.   
"OK!" He bounced out the door and closed it behind time. Emily sighed and Ardeth laughed.   
"I guess it is time to get up." She said, sitting up and yawning. She threw the covers off herself and stood up, stretching.   
  
"My word…you look good doing that." Ardeth said softly, admiring his wife in the morning light. She giggled and walked over to her chest of clothes, in search of something to wear for the day.   
  
~~  
Emily and Ardeth walked through the town later on that morning, laughing and talking. Happy to be back together. Tom ran ahead of them, being the ever-playful four-year-old. A short distance away, Ahmad and Jakum watched as the royal family walked through the city, smiling. The king and queen both took one of the prince's hands, and would lift him up, swinging him softly. Then, Ardeth leaned over and kissed Emily gently, smiling as he pulled away from her lips.   
  
The high elder, Jakum, shook his head. He did not like seeing such public displays of affection, and that kiss they shared the night before! He did not care if they were the king and queen, such things should not be seen in public. There were children in the crowd watching. Now they would grow up thinking it was right! The Med-jai had traditions to uphold rules and laws on common courtesy. No one wanted to see a husband and wife kissing!   
  
Ahmad looked over and saw the frown on the elder's face. "You know, you should cut them some slack. They have been apart for two weeks, and a lot happened to both of them. They are so happy to be together, do you really think they are going to be able to keep their hands off each other?" He said with a smile.   
  
"They should. We have traditions in the Med-jai, such things are not appreciated in our eyes."  
"Only in your eyes, that's the problem, Jakum. Only the elder members of the Med-jai frown upon such things. But for the rest of us, we do not mind seeing a husband and wife share a kiss. There are some things that can not be forced to be privet."  
Jakum scowled. "It is still not right…we have traditions!"  
  
Ahmad chuckled and placed a hand on the old man's shoulder. "Jakum, I think that we gave up traditions the moment he fell in love with her."   
  
Ahmad left of that note, walking past Ardeth and his family, giving them a bright smile. Then he made his way to his own family.   
Life went on for the Med-jai, the O'Connell's, and the Carnahan's. Ten months later, Emily gave birth to Lana Bay, much to the joy of the Bay family. Yes, life went on for our hero's, but, as always, danger would not stay away.  
  
~Fin  
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There is my second story. Hope you all liked it. I got two more Emily/Ardeth stories floating around in my mind. Dont know if I am going to write them down. One centers around their deaths. Might get a little sad.   
  
And I got an idea for a mummy story, complete with Imhotep, in our time. Ya know, 2001, and it would be about Ardeth's great granddaughter and the O'Connell's great grandson. So...I will write more stories. Have no fear in that. I have to write, my muse is being VERY good to me.   
  
So...Enjoy. 


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